Mandalay to Momien : A narrative of the two expeditions to western China of 1868 and 1875, under Colonel Edward B. Sladen and Colonel Horace Browne

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CORNELL

UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

THE

CHARLES WILLIAM WASON

COLLECTION ON CHINA

AND THE CHINESE

MANDALAY TO MOMIEN:

A NAREATlVE

OP THE

TWO EXPEDITIONS TO WESTERN CHINA

OF 1868 AND 1875

UNDEK

COLONEL EDWAED B. SLADEN

AND

COLONEL HOEACE BEOWNE.

JOHN ANDERSON, M.D.Edin., F.R.S.E., F.L.S., P.Z.S.

■%'ELLOW OF CALCUTTA UNIVERSITY;

CURATOR OF IMPERIAL MUSEUM AND PROFESSOR OF COMPARATIVE ANATOMY,

MEDICAL COLLEGE, CALCUTTA;

MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC OFFICER TO BOTH EXPEDITIONS.

WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

Itmttrxrn: :
MAOMILLAN AND CO.

1876.

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PEEFACE.

Seven' years have elapsed since the date of the
expedition which furnishes the subject of the larger
portion of this work. Its results have been recorded,
but can hardly be said to have been published, in the
official reports of the several members, printed in
India, and not accessible to the general reader.

The public interest in the subject of the overland
route from Burma to China, called forth by the
repulse of the recent mission and the tragedy which
attended it, has suggested the present publication.
It is hoped that a compendious and popular ac-
count of the expedition of 1868 wUl be acceptable,
if only as an introduction to the simple narrative
of the mission of this year, commanded by Colonel
Horace Browne. The statement of the difficulties
which beset our advance in 1868 will prepare the
reader to estimate the opposition which, under a
changed political condition of the country, compelled
the mission under Colonel Browne to return without
accomplishing its object.

The narrative of our experiences of the border

PEEFAOE.

country between BliamS and Yunnan, and its motley-
population, . has been supplemented from materials
collected by Colonel Sladen, including a catalogue
of Kakhyen deities obtained by bim, and wbich will
be found in tbe Appendix, along with a Pantbay
account of tbe origin of tbe Chinese Mahommedans.
To him, as well as to my fellow travellers, Captain
Bowers and Mr. Grordon, I gladly record my obli-
gations for tbe information that has been derived
from them.

For many details illustrating the condition of
Yunnan and the Mahommedan revolt in that pro-
vince, I am indebted to the volumes, issued by the
French government, which contain the results of
the French expedition from Saigon to Yunnan,
under Lagree, Garnier, and Carne, whose premature
loss their country has to deplore, and to the travels
of that enterprising pioneer of commerce, Mr. T. T.
Cooper.

No one can treat of the border lands of Cathay
without deriving assistance from the stores of know-
ledge collected and arranged by the erudite editor of
' Marco Polo,' Colonel Yule, to whom I tender my
tribute of admiration and indebtedness.

My observations on the Kakhyens are confirmed
by tbe learned Monsig. Bigandet, the annotator
of the ' Life of Graudama,' who was the first

PREFACE.

European to visit those hill tribes, and who com-
municated his experiences to the columns of the
leading Eangoon journal. The reader will find
among the appendices a valuable note by the same
author, on Burmese bells, especially those of Eangoon
and Mengoon.

The list of Chinese deities given in the Appendix
has been translated from the original by the well
known Chinese scholar, Professor Douglas, of the
British Museum, who has kindly added an explana-
tory note. The appended vocabularies may prove
interesting to philologists.

The illustrations of the country and people as far
as Ponsee have been executed from photographs
taken by Major Wilhams and myself, while the
views of the country to the east are reproductions
of sketches which fairly claim the merit of accurate
delineation of its features.

The map illustrating the topography of the dis-
trict travelled has been based upon surveys made
during the expedition by Mr. Gordon and a Burmese
surveyor, and a second has been added to show the
general relations of our Indian empire to Western
China, with the various routes which have been
explored or projected, including those followed by
the French expedition, and by Margary from the
terminus of the boat journey to Bhamo.

PREFACE.

The journal of our ill-fated companion, recently
published in China, and received in this country
when this work was completed, unfortunately does
not carry him on to Tali-fu, but his impressions of
the country beyond this point have been briefly
summarised in these pages.

The scientific reader will perhaps be incKned
to complain that the following pages do not contain
more of the results of the proper work of a naturalist.
Of these, a full and illustrated report, unavoidably
delayed by absence from this country, is in active
preparation. This wiU be published by the aid of
the Indian government, given at the instance of the
Chief Commissioner of British Burma, the Hon.
Ashley Eden, by whom the opening up of the over-
land route to China, as a measure beneficial to the
province administered by him, has ever been
strongly advocated.

J. A.

6 EoYAL Tbeeaob, Edinbuegh,
December 31, 1875.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

FIEST EXPEDITION:— CHAPTEES I. to XI.
SECOND EXPEDITION :— CHAPTERS XII. to XVI.

CHAPTEE I.

MANDALAT TO BHAMO.

Overland trade of Burma and China — Early notices — English
travellers — Burmese treaty of 1 862 — Dr. Williams —
Objects of the expedition — Its constitution — Arrival at
Mandalay — Second coronation of the king — The suburbs
— The bazaars — Men'^oon — Burmese navigation — Shien-
pagah — Goal mines — The third defile — Sacred fish —
Tagoung and Old Pagan — Ngape — Katha — Magnetic
battery — The first Kakhyens — The Shuaybaw pagodas —
The second defile — View of Bhamo 1-36

CHAPTEE II.

bham6.

Arrival at Bhamo — Our quarters — The town — The Woon's
house — The Shan-Burmese — Kakhyen man-stealing — •
The environs — Old Tsampenago — Legendary history —
The Shuaykeenah pagodas — The Molay river — The first
defile — Delays and intrigues — Sala — The new Woon —
Our departure — Tsitkaw — Mountain muleteers — The
Manloung lake — The phoongyee's farewell 37-66

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE m.

KAKHTEN HILLS.

PAGES

Departure from Tsitkaw — Our cavalcade — The hills — A
false alarm — Talone — First night in the hills — The
tsawbwa-gadaw — Ponline village — A death dance — The
divination — A meetway — ^Nampoung gorge — A dangerous
road — Lakong bivouac — Arrival at Ponsee — A Kathyen
coquette 67-86

CHAPTEE IV.

PONSEB CAMP.

Desertion of the muleteers — Our encampment — Visit of hill
chiefs — ^Sala's demands — A mountain excursion — Mes-
sengers from Momien — Shans refuse presents — Stoppage
of supplies — Ill-feeling — Tsawbwa of Seray — St. Patrick's
Day — Eetreat of Sala — The pawmines of Ponsee — A
burial-ground — Visit to the Tapeng — The silver mines —
— Approach of the rains — Hostility of Ponsee — Threat-
ened attack — Eeconciliation — A false start — Letters from
Momien — A hailstorm — Circular to the members of the
mission — Beads and belles — Friendly relations with
Kakhyens — Their importance 87-124

CHAPTEE V.

THE KAKHYENS.

The Kakhyens or Kakoos — The clans — Theii- chiefs —
Mountain villages — Cultivation and crops — Personal
appearance — Costume — Arms and implements — Female
dress and ornaments — Women's work — Sheroo — Morals
— Marriage — Music — Births — Funerals — Eeligion —
Language — Character — How to deal with them — Our
party .. 125-134

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE VI.

MANWTNB TO MOMIBN.

PAGES

Departure from Ponsee — Valley of the Tapeng — A curious
crowd — Our khyoung — Matins — The town of Manwyne —
Visit to the haw — The tsawbwa-gadaw — An armed demon-
stration— Karahokah — Sanda — The chief and his grand-
son— Muangla — Shan burial-grounds — The Taho — A
murdered traveller — Mawphoo valley — Muangtee —
Nantin — Valley of Nantin — The hot springs — Attacked
by Chinese — Hawshuenshan volcano — Valley of Momien
— Arrival at the city 155-188

CHAPTEE Vn.

Momien — The town of Teng-yue-chow — Aspect and
condition — An official reception — Eeturn visit — Govern-
ment house — A Chinese tragedy — The market — Jade
manufacture — Minerals — Mines of Yunnan — Stone celts
— Cattle — Climate — Environs — The waterfall — Pagoda
hill — Shuayduay — Eock temples — Euined suburbs — City
temples — Eour-armed deities — Boys' school — A grand
feast — The loving-cup — The tsawbwa-gadaw of Muangtee
— Keenzas — The Chinese poor 189-222

CHAPTER VIII.

THE MAHOMMEDANS OP YUNNAN.

Their origin — Derivation of the term " Panthay " — Early
history — Increase in numbers— Adoption of children —
The Toonganees — Physical characteristics — Outbreak of
the revolt — Tali-fu — Progress of revolt — The French ex-
pedition— Overtures from Low-quang-fang — Eesources of
the Panthays — Capture of Yunnan-fu — Prospects of their
success — Our position — The governor's presents — Pre-
parations for return 223-247

TABLE OP CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE IX.

THE SANDA VALLEY,

PAGES

Departure from Momien — Bobbers surprised — At Nantin —
Our ponies stolen — We slide to Muangla — A pleasant
meeting — The Tapeng ferrymen — A valley landscape —
Negotiations at Sanda — The Leesaws — A Shan cottage —
Buddhist khyoungs — For fear of the nats — The lime-
stone hill — Hot springs of Sanda — The footprint of
Buddha — A priestly thief — The excommunication — The
chief's farewell — Floods and landslips — Manwyne
priests — A Shan dinner party — The nunnery — Departure

, from Manwyne— The Slough of Despond .. .. 248-273

CHAPTER X.

THE HOIHA VALLEY.

The mountain summit — A giant glen — Leesaw village —
The wrong road — Priestly inhospitality — Town of Hotha
— A friendly chief — The Namboke Kakhyens — The Hotha
market — The Shan people — The Koshanpyi — The Tai
of Yunnan — Their personal appearance — Costume —
Equipment — The Chinese Shans — Silver hair ornaments
— Bar-rings — Torques, bracelets, and rings — Textile
fabrics — Agriculture — Social customs — Tenure of land —
Old Hotha — A Shan-Chinese temple — Shan Buddhism —
The fire festival — Eclipse of the sim — Horse worship —
Ancient pagodas — Eoads from Hotha 274-312

CHAPTEE XI.

FEOM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

Adieu! — Latha — Namboke — The southern hiUs — Muang-
wye — Loaylone — The Chinese frontier — Mattin ■ —
Hoetone — View of the Irawady plain — A slippery descent
— The Namthabet — The Sawady route — A solemn sacri-
fice— A retrospective survey 313-332

TABLE OP CONTENTS.

CHAPTEE XII.

INTERMEDIATE BYBNTS.

PAGES

Appointment of a British Resident at Bh.am6 — Increase of
native trade — Action of the king of Burma — Burmese
quarrel with the Seray chief — British relations with the
Panthays — Struggle in Yunnan — -Li-sieh-tai — Imperialist
successes — European gunners — Siege of Momien — Fall
of Yung-chang — Prince Hassan visits England — Pall of
Tali-fu — Sultan Suleiman's death — Massacre of Panthays
— Capture of Momien — Escape of Tah-sa-kon — Capture
of Woosaw — Suppression of rebellion — Imperial procla-
mation— Li-sieh-tai, commissioner of Shan states — ite-
, opening of trade routes — Second British mission — Action
of Sir T. Wade — ^Appointment of Mr. Margary — Members
of mission — Acquiescence of China and Burma .. 333-349

CHAPTEE XIII.

SEOOHD EXPEDITION.

Start of mission — Arrival at Mandalay — The Burmese
pooay — Posturing girl — Eeception by the meng-gyees —
Audience by the king — Departure of mission — Progress
up the river — Eeception at Bhamo — British Eesidency —
Mr. Margary — Account of his journey — The Woon of
Bhamo — Entertains Margary — Chinese puppets — Selec-
tion of route — Sawady route — Bullock carriage — Woon
of Shuaygoo — Chinese surmises — Letters to Chinese
ofScials — Burmese worship-day 350-378

CHAPTER XIV.

SAWADY.

The hun pooay — Mission proceeds to Sawady — Visit from
Woon — Eumoured opposition — The Woon as a musician
— Sawady village — Eoyal orders — Baggage difficulties
— Arrival of Mr. Clement Allan — Paloungto chief —

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PAGES

Kakhyen pilfering — Abandon route — Adopt Ponline
route — Eeasons for change — Tsaleng Woon — Departure
of mission to Tsitkaw — Elias and Cooke proceed to
Muangmow — Dolphins — Up the Tapeng — Tahmeylon
—Arrive at Tsitkaw 379-399

CHAPTEE XV.

THE ADVANCE.

Eesidence at Tsitkaw — View from our house— The Nam-
thabet — Junction of the rivers — Arrival of the Woon —
Conference of tsawbwas — Hostages — Kakhyen women —
Eifle practice — A night alarm — A curious talisman — We
leave Tsitkaw — Camp at Tsihet — Burmese guard-house
— Lankon, Ponline — Camp on the Moonam — Hostile
rumours — Camp on the Nampoung — Departure of
Margary for Manwyne — Escape of hostages — Letter from
Margary — We enter China — Camp on Shitee Meru —
Burmese vigilance — Visit to Seray — Conference with
Seray tsawbwa — Suspicious reception — Eeturn to camp —
Burmese barricades 400-427

CHAPTEE XVI.

REPULSE OF MISSION.

Appearance of enemy — Murder of Margary — Friendly
tsawbas — Mission attacked — Woonkah tsawbwa bought
over — The jungle fired — Eepulse of attack — Incidents of
the day — Our retreat — Shitee — Burmese reinforcements
— Halt at guard-house — Eetreat on Tsitkaw via Woonkah
— Elias and Cooke's visit to Muangmow — Li-sieh-tai —
Eeturn of Captain Cooke — Elias at Muangmow — Father
Lecomte and the Mattin chief — A forged letter — The
Saya of Kauntoung — ^Eeports regarding Margary — The
commission of inquiry — Eeturn of Elias — Visit to the
second defile — Mission's return to Eangoon .. .. 428-454

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

APPENDICES.

PAGES

I. A Note by Bishop Bigandet, on Burmese Bells .. 455
II. Origin of Mahommedanism in China ; from Chinese

Document 466

III. Deities worshipped by Kakhyens 457-459

IV. Deities in a Hotha Shan Temple 460-463

V. Vocabularies : — Kakhyen, Shan, Leesaw, and Po-

loung 464-473

Index .. 475-479

xvi LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS.

To face 'page

Extinct Volcano op Hawshubnshan ; from Summit of

MoMiEN Hill 186

From a eketeh by (he Authok.

Within the Walls of Momibn ok Teng-tue-chow .. 192
From a sketch hy the Author.

Waterfall of the Taho ; Momien in the Distance . . 208
From a sketch by the Authob.

Valley of Sanda, looking Westward from the Hill

BEHrND THE ToWN 254

From a sketch by the Authok.

Shan Head-dress, Bracelets, and Ear Ornaments .. 296
From photographs.

Posturing Girl at Mandalat 354

From a photograph by the Aothok.

View in Bhamo 364

From a photograph by Majok Williams.

TSITKAW, ON THE TaPBNG, LOOKING TOWARDS THE KaKHTEN

Hills 401

From a photograph by the Adthor.

LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

Map of Country Traversed.
General Map, with Routes.
Plan of Momien ; by Burmese Surveyor.

Mandalay, the Capital op Independent Burma ; prom

MandAL^ Hill Frontispiece.

From a photograph Jiy Colonel Sladen.

To face page
The Deva-faced Cliff, Second Defile op the Irawady 34
From a photograph by the Author.

EooKY Barrier on the First or Upper Defile op the

Irawady 55

From a photograph by Major Williams.

Kakhyen Women 74

From a photograph by Major Williams.

Our Camp at Ponsee 89

From a photograph by Major Williams.

Kakhyen Men — Kakhyen Matrons 125

From photographs by Major Williams.

Kakhybn and Shan Pipes, Musical Instruments, etc. .. 134
From, photographs.

Nantin Valley, Town op Muangtee to the Left ..- .. 178
From a sketch hj the Author.

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MANDALAY TO MOMIEN.

CHAPTER I.

MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

Overland trade of Burma and China — Early notices — EngUsh tra-
vellers— Burmese treaty of 1862 — Dr. Williams — Objects of the
expedition — Its constitution — Arrival at Mandalay — Second coro-
nation of the king — The suburbs — The bazaars — Mengoon —
Burmese navigation — Shienpagah — Coal mines — -The third defile

— Sacred fish — Tagoung and Old Pagan — Ngap6 — Katha —
Magnetic battery — The first Kakhyens — The Shuaybaw pagodas

— The second defile — View of Bhamo.

For some years previous to the date of the expedition
of which the progress is narrated in these pages, the
attention of British merchants at home and in India
had been directed to the prospect of an overland
trade with Western China. Most especially did this
interest the commercial community of Rangoon, the
capital of British Burma, and the port of the great
water highway of the Irawady, boasting a trade
the annual value of which had increased in fifteen
years to £2,500,000. The avoidance of the long
and dangerous voyage by the Straits and Indian

MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

Archipelago and a direct interchange of our manu-
factures for the products of the rich provinces of
Yunnan and Sz-chuen might well seem to he
advantages which would richly repay almost any
efforts to accomplish this purpose.

One plan, then as now, zealously insisted upon
by its promoter, Captain Sprye, was the construction
of a railway connecting British Burma and China
via Kiang Hung, on the Cambodia river, and the
frontier position or reputed town of Esmok.

But as it was, and still is, necessary to send a
surveying expedition over an unknown and alien
country, as a preliminary, this project, whether
chimerical or not, could not compete with the
immediate possibility of opening a trade by way of
the river Irawady and the royal city of Mandalay.

Although before 1867 but four English steamers
with freight had ascended the river to the capital,
harbingers of the numerous flotilla now plying on
the Irawady, it was known that a regular traffic
existed between Mandalay and China, especially in
the supply of cotton to the interior, which was
reserved as a royal monopoly.

This trade was reported to be mainly carried on
by caravans traversing the overland route via
Theinnee to Yunnan. According to the itineraries
of the Burmese embassy in 1787, the distance is six
hundred and twenty miles, and forty-six hills and
mountains, five large rivers and twenty-four smaller
ones, had to be traversed in the tedious journey of

OVERLAND TEADE.

two months. But an unbroken chain of tradition
and history indicated the natural entrepot of the
commerce between Burma and China to be at or near
Bham8,* on the left bank of the upper Irawady,
and close to the frontier of Yunnan.

The Burmese annals testified that during several
centuries this had been the passage from China to
Burma either for invading armies or for peaceful
caravans. The most recent Burmo-Chinese war
had arisen out of the grievances of Bhamo Chinese
merchants, and the treaty of peace that was signed
at Bhamo in 1769 stipulated that the "gold and
silver road " between the two countries should be
reopened. Mutual embassies had consequently jour-
neyed between Pekin and Ava, and almost all had
proceeded by way of the Irawady and Bhamo.

European travellers and traders had early discerned
the importance of this channel of intercourse, which
seems to have been alluded to by the great Venetian ,
Marco Polo, under the name of Zardandan.

The old documents of Fort St. George record that
the English and Dutch had factories in the begin-
ning of the seventeenth century at Syriam, Prome,
and Ava, and at a place on the borders of China,
which Dalrymple supposes to have been Bham6.
According to this authority, some dispute arose
between the Dutch and Burmese, and on the former
threatening to call in the aid of the Chinese, both the
English and Dutch were expelled from Burma. In

* Pronounced " Bhamaw."

B 2

MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

1680 the reputation of this field for mercantile en-
terprise seems to have again attracted the attention
of the authorities at Fort St. George, and four years
afterwards one Dod, trading to Ava, was instructed
to inquire into the commerce of the country, and to
request that a settlement might be sanctioned at
Prammoo, on the borders of China. This mission
was unsuccessful, and Prammoo cannot with certainty
be identified, but the strong similarity of the name
seems to point to Pan-mho or Bham8.

Coming down to more recent and certain data,
we find that Colonel Symes, H.E.I.O.'s envoy to Ava
in 1795 (and who was accompanied by that able
geographer. Dr. Buchanan), states that an extensive
trade, chiefly in cotton, existed between Ava and
Yunnan, " This commodity was transported up
the Irawady to Bham6, where it was sold to the
Chinese merchants, and conveyed . partly by land
and partly by water into the Chinese dominions.
Amber, ivory, precious stones, betel-nut^ and the
edible birds' nests from the Eastern Archipelago,
were also articles of coinmerce. In return, the
Burmans procured raw and wrought silks, velvets,
gold-leaf, preserves, paper, and utensils of hardware."
Both the researches of Wilcox and the journal of
Crawford's embassy to Ava in 1826 referred to the
trade and routes by Bhamo, and the Bengal govern-
ment in 1827 published a map containing the best
procurable information about the Burrao-Chinese
frontier.

EAELY NOTICES OP BHAMO.

Colonel Burney, who was Eesident at the court of
Ava in 1830, published a large number of valuable
contributions to the history, geography, and re-
sources of Upper Burma, and accurate itineraries
of the Theinnee and Bhamo routes to China. Our
experience demonstrated the accuracy of the latter
as far as Momien, and it may be inferred that the
remainder will be found equally exact. Pemberton*
seems to have been the first to fully realise that— to
use his own words — "the province of Yunnan, to
which the north-eastern borders of our Indian
empire have now so closely approximated, has be-
come from this circumstance and our existing
amicable relations with the court of Ava an object
of peculiar interest to us." In the same year Captain
Hannay accompanied a Burmese mission to Mogoung,
and for the first time Bhamo was accurately described
by an eye-witness, and much valuable information
gained respecting the trade then carried on between
Ava and China. His description of the importance
of the town, however, diifered widely from that of
Drs. Griffiths and Bayfield, who visited it two years
later.f

Hannay gives the reported number of houses as
one thousand five hundred, while the latter travellers
estimated town and suburbs as containing five
hundred and ninety-eight houses, " neither good nor

* ' Eeport on Eastern Frontier of Britisli India,' 1835.
t Yide ' Selection of Papers on tlie Hill Tracts between Assam
and Burmah,' Calcutta, 1873.

MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

large," which latter description is more in keeping
with the present condition of the town.

In 1848 Baron Otto des Grranges published a short
survey of the countries between Bengal and China,
showing the great commercial and political impor-
tance of Bham6, and the practicability of a direct
trade overland between Calcutta and China.

In this paper the far-seeing author advocated the
equipment of a small expedition to ascertain the
mercantile relations of the country about Bhamo, to
examine the mineral wealth of Yunnan, and to enter
into negotiations with the Chinese merchants.

In 1862 the government of India, in the prospect
of a treaty being negotiated with the king of
Burma, directed their Chief Commissioner, Sir A.
Phayre, to include in it, if possible, the reopening
of the caravan route from Western China by the
town of Bhamo, and the concession of facilities to
British merchants to reside at that place, or to travel
to Yunnan, and for Chinese from Yunnan to have
free access to British territory, including Assam.
The first of these objects was to be effected by obtain-
ing the king's sanction to a joint Burmese and British
mission to China. A treaty was concluded whereby
the British and Burmese governments were declared
friends, and trade in and through Upper Burma
was freely thrown open to British enterprise. It
was further stipulated that a direct trade with China
might be carried on through Upper Burma, subject
to a transit duty of one per cent, ad valorem on

BURMESE TREATY OF 1862.

Oliinese exports, and nil on imports. The proposal,
however, as to the joint mission was unsuccessful.

In the following year, Dr. Williams, formerly
resident at the court of Mandalay, obtained the
royal permission to proceed as far as Bham6, where
he arrived in February, after a journey of twenty-
two days. His object was to test the practicability
of a route through Burma to Western China, and
the results of his experience led him to strongly
advocate the Bhamo routes as politically, physically,
and commercially the most advantageous.

His energetic advocacy led the mercantile com-
munity of Rangoon to appreciate the importance of
their own position, commanding, as it does, the most
ancient highway to Western China. His claim,
however, to have been the first to suggest this trade
route must yield to that of Otto des Granges ; and
the assertion that he was the first Enghshman who
visited Bhamo could only have been made in ig-
norance or forgetfulness of the labours of Hannay,
Bayfield, and Grrifiiths.

When the commercial acuteness of the merchants
was thus directed to the possibilities of the overland
trade, it might seem at first sight that the stream
could be tapped at Mandalay without following it up
to the borders of Yunnan.

But our growing intercourse with the capital of
Burma made it known that for twelve years the
Burmo-Chinese trade via Bhamo, which in 1855
represented £500,000 per annum, had almost entirely

MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

ceased. Whether this were owing to the effects of
the Mahommedan rebeUion in Yunnan, or, as some
alleged, to Burmese poKcy, was uncertain. It was an
additional problem, and the then Chief Commissioner,
G-eneral Fytche, anxiously pressed upon the govern-
ment of India the importance of solving it, and
under the treaty of 1862 of thoroughly examining
the possibility and probable results of reopening the
Bhamo trade route.

This enterprise might be deemed one of hereditary
interest to the descendant of that enterprising mer-
chant-traveller, Mr. Fitch, who has left an account
of his visit to Pegu in 1586. The proposed expedi-
tion was sanctioned by the government of India in
September 1867, and the consent of the king of
Burma having been duly obtained, arrangements
were forwarded for the departure of the mission from
Mandalay in January 1868. The chief objects of
the expedition were, to use the words of Greneral
Fytche, " to discover the cause of the cessation of
the trade formerly existing by these routes, the
exact position held by the Kakhyens, Shans, and
Panthays, with reference to that traflSc, and their
disposition, or otherwise, to resuscitate it, also to
examine the physical conditions of these routes."

Thus the duties to be discharged were multifarious,
pertaining to diplomacy, engineering, natural science,
and commerce. These accordingly were all repre-
sented among the members of the mission, which
consisted of Captain Williams, as engineer; Dr.

OBJECTS OF THE EXPEDITION.

Anderson, as medical officer and naturalist; with
Captain Bowers and Messrs. Stewart and Burn as
delegates from the commercial community of Ran-
goon.* A guard of fifty armed police, with their
inspector and native doctor, formed an escort, while
the command of the whole was entrusted to Major
Sladen, Political Resident at Mandalay. It is saying
scarcely enough to add that to the foresight, tact, and
resolute patience displayed by him as leader was due
whatever measure of success was obtained. He had
already secured not only the consent but the co-
operation of the king. Written orders had been
despatched to the woon, or governor, of Bhamo, and
to other places, to render all assistance. Besides
these verbal aids, the king placed at his disposal a
royal steamer, named the Yaynan-Sehia, better known
as " The Honesty," to convey the party to Bhamo.
On no former occasion had it been deemed prudent
for steamers to ascend save for a few miles above
Mandalay; and great difference of opinion existed
as to the navigability of the upper Irawady in the
dry season by a steamer, though only drawing three
feet of water.

In the morning of January 6, 1868, the steamer
Nerhvdda, which had conveyed the party from
Rangoon, made fast alongside the landing-place of

* The Chamber of Commerce, under the able president, Mr.
M'Call, had been most active in urging the despatch of the
mission, and had subscribed £3000 for all expenses of their repre-
sentatives, and for the purchase of specimens of manufactures.

10 MANDALAY TO BHAM6.

the present capital of Burma, three miles from the
city, of which only the golden spires could be seen
above the trees. As our stay was not to exceed
three or four days, all the party remained on board
until it should be time to embark on the Yaynan-
Sekia. Beyond a jetty used by the Burmese in the
floods, lay the royal steamer undergoing thorough
painting and cleaning for our reception. She was
moored in a creek, the royal naval depot, where
numerous war-boats of the past and the present
fleet of royal steamers are laid up in ordinary.
For nearly three miles the river banks presented a
busy scene. Native boats were loading or dis-
charging cargo ; houses extended the whole distance,
those nearer the river being tenanted by fishermen.
A large suburb stretched inland from the shore;
each house was surrounded by a vegetable garden
enclosed in a bamboo fence eight to ten feet high,
while all were embosomed in magnificent tamarind,
plantain, and palm trees. The women were busily
engaged weaving silk putzos and tameins in various
patterns.* Beyond this suburb lay a large flat of
alluvial land, devoted to rice-fields, some in stubble,
from which the graiti had just been reaped ; in
others men and women were irrigating the young

* The putzo is a long narrow silken clotti of a chequered
pattern, whicli a Burman winds round him to form a suit of clothes.
The iameiii is the feminine equivalent, partly of cloth, partly of
silk, with a zig-zag pattern, the silken portions forming the skirt,
which, according to ancient custom, exposes one leg almost
completely in walking.

AERIVAL AT MANDALAY. 11

crop, now about six inches high, three crops yearly
being raised from these lands, which formed, as it
were, an island of cultivation, surrounded by houses.

The leader of the expedition. Major Sladen, came
down to welcome us, and we rode with him to the
Residency, situated on the banks of a canal, which
runs parallel with the river, and halfway between it
and the city. The bank of the canal is lined with
houses, and broad streets lead to the city, over
numerous strongly built timber bridges, the only
defect in which is that the alluvial banks of the
canal frequently give way, to the destruction of the
bridges and interruption of the traffic. Our road
lay throiigh a populous suburb of houses built of
teak and supported on piles. To the right lay a
quarter occupied by the demi-monde; to the left
numerous khyoungs, or monasteries, reared their
graceful triple concave roofs. Phoongyees, or
Buddhist monks, abounded ; so did pigs and dogs,
both of which are fed daily by a dole from the king,
who, as a pious Buddhist, lays up a store of good
works by thus preserving animal life. These ubi-
quitous pigs have given rise to a well-known saying,
which tersely expresses the first impression made
on the European visitor by the precincts of the
capital. Our stay was too short to admit of more
than a flying visit to Mandalay, its palace and
countless pagodas.

The city properly so called lies about three
miles from the Irawady, on a rising ground below

12 MANDALAY^O.BHAMO.

the till Mandale. It was 'founded, on his accession
in 1853, by the present king; and one of his
motives for quitting Ava, and selecting the new
site, was to remove his palace from the sight and
sound of British steamers. The city is built on the
same plan as the old capital, described by Yule, and
consists of two concentric fortified squares. The
outer is defended by lofty massive brick walls, with
earthworks thrown up on the inside. There are
four gates, over each of which rises a tower with
seven gilded roofs. Similar smaller towers adorn
the wall at intervals. A deep moat fifty yards
broad has been completed since the date of our
visit, and now surrounds the walls. During the
night, guard-boats, with gongs beating, patrol its
waters. When the king, in compliance with a
prophecy, was crowned a second time in 1874, he
made the circuit of the city in a magnificent war-
boat, the splendour of which eclipses the traditionary
glory of the Lord Mayor's barge. The actual cere-
mony of the re-coronation took place on the 4th of
June, at 8 p.m., the hour pronounced propitious by
the court of Brahmins.* Captain Strover describes the
ceremony as being to a. great extent private, only the
various ministers of state and about eighty Brahmins
being present. Incantations and sprinkling of holy
water brought from the Ganges formed the chief

* These Brahmins act as royal astrologers, who are consulted
on all great occasions. The Buddhist priests took no part in the
ceremonial.

SECOND CORONATION OP THE KING. 13

part of the ceremony, after wliich his majesty
was supposed to have become a new king, barring
the difficulty of years. Seven days afterwards, the
king went through the ceremony of taking charge
of the royal city. At nine in the morning a gun
announced that he had left the palace, and at half past
another was fired, intimating that he had entered the
royal barge. The procession round the city moat
commenced from the east gate, and was led by the
two principal magistrates of Mandalay in gilded
war-boats ; then followed all the princes in line, a
short way in front of the state barge, and behind the
king came the ministers and officials. Troops lined
the walls all round the city, and cannon were placed
every here and there at the corners of the streets.
Bands of music played as the procession passed, and,
altogether, the sight was most effective and unique.
Having gone right round the city, he left the royal
barge at the east gate, and a salute announced that
he had re-entered the palace, and the ceremony was
finished. According to his majesty's own statement,
the ceremony was a purely religious act.

The first square is inhabited by the officials, civil
and military, and the soldiers of the royal army. All
the houses are in separate enclosures, bordering
broad, well kept streets ; along the fronts is carried
the king's fence, a latticed palisade, behind which
the subjects hide themselves when his majesty passes.
During the day, stalls are set up in the streets, and
the various Burmese necessaries, even to cloth, are

14 MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

sold, but at night all are cleared away and the gates
closed. The central or royal square is surrounded
by an outer stockade of teak timber twelve feet in
height, and an inner wall. Entrance is given by
two gates opposite each other, opening into a wide
place, containing the government offices and the
royal mint, on one side ; on the other, a wall' runs
across, and a large gateway, opened only for the
king, and a small postern give access to the palace
enclosure. All Burmese entering this take off their
shoes. Within is a wide open area, as large as a
London square. On the opposite side rises a build-
ing crowned by nine roofs richly gilded, and sur-
mounted by a golden htee, or umbrella, with its
tinkling coronal of bells. This marks the audience
hall. All entering this are required to take off their
shoes, for the royal abode is sacred. The same
rule applies to all temples, and this unbooting is
really a mark of religious respect, due as much to
the meanest khyoung as to the residence of the king.
This fact perhaps, if borne in mind, might soothe
the ruffled feeHngs of those who see in this un-
booting a mark of degrading homage. To the left
is the abode of the white elephant, which, it may
be said, is scarcely distinguishable from any other ele-
phant save by the paler hue of the skin of the head.
To the right is the royal arsenal, outside of which the
visitor would be now surprised by the sight of a
completely armed and equipped deck of a vessel,
which serves as a school for naA^al gunnery.

SUBUEBS. 15

We were not admitted to an audience, nor did
we see the royal gardens, which, with the other
palace buildings, lie to the rear of the central hall.
Dr. Dawson, as quoted in Mason's 'Burmah,'
describes the gardens in glowing language, as " truly
beautiful, and as picturesque as they are grand."
Outside the walls of the city the suburbs, or un-
walled town, stretch away southward in broad
streets, which converge towards the Arracan
pagoda ; and in the distance the spires of pagodas
mark the site of Amarapura.

It is impossible to estimate the population, but it
must exceed one hundred thousand, to judge by the
extent of ground covered by houses. Between the
city and Mandalay hill numerous khyoungs have
been erected by the queens and other members of the
royal family, the teak pillars and roof timbers of
which are magnificently carved and richly gilt.

In passing through the enclosures of these monas-
teries, it is necessary for equestrians to dismount and
walk slowly through the sacred precincts. On this
side also there is a large stockaded enclosure, to
which the Shan caravans always resort. Here their
wares, principally /iZe/>/if, a sort of salted tea — not, how-
ever, made from the true tea plant * — are disposed
of by means of brokers. At the foot of Mandalay hill is
a temple with a large seated statue of Buddha, carved
from the white marble of the Tsagain hills. The

* It appears to bo made from tlie leaves of Elceodendron
persicum, Persoon.

16 MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

hill itself is crowned by a gilded pagoda, and a statue
of Buddha. The Golden King stands with out-
stretched finger pointing down to the golden htee
that marks the royal abode, the centre of the city
and of the Burman kingdom.

On the hill is a vast colony of fowls, numbers of
which are purchased by the royal piety every
morning, and maintained at the king's expense.
The eastern side of the city is skirted by a long
swamp, which forms a lagoon in the rains. The
Myit-nge river, six miles to the south, may be said
to complete the insulation of the environs of the
capital. Not far from the Residency, but on the
other side of the canal, there is a large bazaar,
enclosed with brick walls, which presents a most
busy scene. This may be said to be the principal
enclosed market-place ; but there are other smaller
cloth bazaars ; and several quarters or streets are
occupied by special trades, a very noisy quarter
being that of the gold-beaters. The fondness for
gilding which characterises the Burmese causes an
immense demand for gold-leaf, the gold used being
principally brought by the caravans from Yunnan.
Another quarter is tenanted by Chinese. By a
curious coincidence, on the day of our arrival, a
Chinese caravan of two hundred mules arrived from
Tali-fu. They had come by the long overland
Theinnee route, bringing hams, walnuts, pistachio-
nuts, honey, opium, iron pots, yellow orpiment,
&c. We noticed many Suratees among the inha-

DEPARTURE OF THE STEAMER. 17

bitants of the city. These acute and enterprising
traders come to Burma in great numbers, and are
found everywhere busily engaged in money-making.
European adventurers of various nationahties form
an element in the population, small, but mischievous ;
it is hardly to be wondered at if an ill impression of
kalas* is formed by the Burmese nobility and gentry,
judging from the conduct of some of these foreigners ;
while again they spread monstrous reports about
the king, his social and political habits and ideas,
which find their way into the Indian and English
press.

The transshipment of ourselves and followers and
baggage was duly effected, and in the afternoon
of the 18th of January the Yaynan-Sekia left her
moorings. We only proceeded as far as Mengoon,
on the right bank, a few miles from the capital.
Thus far we had the company of Mr. Manouk, an
Armenian gentleman, who held the office of hala
icoon, or foreign minister. We duly visited the
huge ruin of solid brickwork, which, as Colonel Yule
says, represents the extraordinary folly of King
Mentaragyi, the founder of Amarapura in 1787.

Intended for a gigantic pagoda, it was left un-
finished, in consequence of a prediction that its com-
pletion would be fatal to the royal founder; the
earthquake of 1839 split the huge cube of solid
brickwork, and it is now a fantastic ruin.

Yule gives the dimensions of the lowest of the five
* Kalas, Burmese word for " foreigners."

18 MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

encircling terraces as four hundred feet square ; if
completed, the whole edifice would have been five
hundred feet high. Near this is the great bell, twelve
feet high, and sixteen across at the lips, and weighing
ninety tons.*

The most interesting object is the Seebyo pagoda,
built by the grandson and successor of Mentaragyi
in 1816, and named after his wife. The substructure
from which the pagoda rises is circular, and consists
of six successive concentric terraces. Each terrace
is five feet above the one below, and six feet in
breadth, and is surrounded by a stone parapet of a
wavy design. In the niches of each terrace are
images, fabulous dragons, birds, and beloos, or
monsters. By a rough measurement the walled
enclosure is four hundred yards in circumference,
but an open space of thirty-five yards deep intervenes
between the wall and the first terrace. The design
of the pagoda is intended to represent the mythical
Myen Mhoo Doung, or Meru Mountain, the central
pillar of the universe, and the seven encircling
ranges of mountains, or the six continents, each of
which is guarded by a monster, the first by the
dragon, the second by the bird Kalon. It might be
also suggested that those terraces may represent the
six happy abodes of nats which form successive
Elysiums below the seat of Brahma.

From the rising ground above Mengoon a magni-
ficent panorama unfolds itself: the valley from the
* See Appendix I.

MBNGOON. 19

dry and treeless Tsagain hills, a few miles to the
rear, spreads out for fifteen miles in width to the
eastern line of mountains, which, emerging from
the north bank of the Myit-nge, stretch away as
far as the eye can reach to the north-east. The
long flowing sweep of these summits singularly
contrasts with the irregularly peaked outline
of the Myait-loung hills, south of the Myit-nge.
Immediately beneath the spectator, the Irawady,
curving under the western hills, broadens, till op-
posite to the capital its main banks are nearly three
miles and a half apart.

The river is broken up into channels by large
islands, on one of which the royal gardens are
situated, and numerous sandbanks, exposed in the
dry season, and cultivated with tobacco and other
crops. In the foreground the various channels of
the splendid river present an animated spectacle of
numerous canoes, timber rafts, and boats of every
form and size. In the middle distance, the golden
roofs of the city gates and of the many monasteries
which cluster outside the red city walls flash back
the sunbeams. The fantastic forms of the many
roofed spires of the zayats and rest-houses, and the
sparkling htees of pagodas, everywhere perplex and
please the eye, which looks from the picturesque hill
to the north, crowned by the gilded temple, to the
irregular outlines of the bazaar, stretching far
down to the successive line of the abandoned
capitals. A glorious picture, especially when the

c 2

20 MANDALAY TO BHAM6.

glowing orange tints of sunset are relieved by tlie
rich purple of the cloudlike distant hills !

From Mengoon the steamer made its unaccus-
tomed way under the right bank, passing sand-
banks covered with numerous flocks of whimbrel,
golden plover, and snake-birds. Although at the
present time both royal and private steamers ply
regularly between Mandalay and Bhamfi, at the dry
season frequent delays, caused by grounding on sand-
banks, make the upward voyage of very uncertain
duration. We as the pioneers had to feel our way
most cautiously, the water being very low. Our crew,
from captain to firemen, were to a man Burmese, and
great was our admiration of the coolness and skill
shown by the skipper in navigating the narrow
channels ; he seemed to have an almost instinctive
intuition of the depth of the water. It was no
work of love on his part, as he took no pains to
disguise his dislike of the kalas, or foreigners, and
was devoid of the jovial openheartedness generally
characteristic of Burmese. A rich illustration of the
character of the Burmese crew was afforded us by
the leadsman, who quitted his post, unobserved by
the captain. He provided, however, for the naviga-
tion, by telling one of his fellows to sing out for him
in his absence, and imaginary depths, varying several
feet, were accordingly shouted at intervals to the
unconscious captain, who steered accordingly — for-
tunately without mishap. A court official accom-
panied us to see that the orders for provision of

SHIENPAGAH. 21

firewood were duly obeyed, and to purvej' boats
in case of the river proving unnavigable ; but as
no difficulties arose, be had nothing to do save that
he once showed his zeal by inflicting an unmerciful
beating on a village headman who failed to supply
milk.

The banks of the river presented a succession of
picturesque headlands, fi.fty to sixty feet high, sepa-
rated by luxuriant dells, each containing a village.
Between two such heights, covered with pagodas
accessible only by flights of steps, lay Shienpagah, a
thriving town of some four hundred houses. A brisk
trade is here carried on in fish and firewood for the
capital, and salt procured from the swamps behind the
sterile Tsagain hills.* Above Shienpagah we changed
our course to the other side. The villages on the
eastern bank seemed small and few, each embowered
among tall trees and groves of palmyra, mixed with
a few cocoa-nut palms, relieved by the bright, pale,
tropical green of the plantain. A broad alluvial

* At tMs time about one million viss of salt were annually
exported up the river from SMenpagah, finding its way chiefly to
Bhamo and to Tsitkaw, for the supply of the Kakhyens and Shans.
Lately, however,- English salt is beginning to take its place, and
on my last voyage up the Irawady, one flat from Mandalay carried
nothing but salt. In order to proceed to Tsitkaw, it is trans-
shipped at Bhamo into small boats, which carry only five thousand
viss each, as the Tapeng is a rapid river, and rather shallow
during the dry weather. On salt from Shienpagah, a duty is
levied at Male, Tuathet, and Bhamo, in addition to a boat tax, and
when it proceeds up the Tapeng, an additional impost has to bo
paid at Tsitkaw, and a boat tax at Haylone and Tsitgna. (A
viss = about 3 lbs.)

22 MANDALAY TO BHAM6.

flat extended to the low broken ranges of the SagyeH
and Thubyo-budo bills, from the former of which
comes nearly all the marble used in Mandalay.
The distant Shan mountains rose beyond another
plain sparsely covered with lofty trees and richly
cultivated.

Our course lay up a channel, skirting the long
island and town of Alekyoung, till the rounded hill
of Kethung, dotted with white pagodas, rose over the
dense greenery in which nestled the village so
called. On the opposite bank lay Hteezeh, the
village of oil merchants. A belt of bright yellow
sand, and then a fine green sward, led up from the
river to the village, shaded by noble palmyras and
gigantic bamboos, which formed a background to a
river scene of exquisite colouring and beauty. A
mile or two above Ale'kyoung, the river narrowed,
flowing in a stream unbroken by islands or sand-
banks. Soon the short well wooded Nattoung hills
abutted on the right bank, in a pagoda-crowned
headland, with Makouk village at its base. On the
opposite side, the small town of Tsingu, once for-
tified, and still showing fragments of the old walls,
occupied another headland, marking the entrance of
the third defile of the Irawady.

From this point, for thirty miles, as far as Male
and Tsampenago, the country on either bank is hilly,
and covered to the" water's edge with luxuriant forest.
Winding in a succession of long reaches, the river
presents a series of lovely lake landscapes. The

THE THIED DEFILE. 23

stream, one thousand to fifteen hundred yards wide,
flows placid and unbroken, save by the gambols
of round-headed dolphins. As, preceded by long
lines of these creatures, we steamed slowly along,
each successive reach seemed barred by wooded
cliffs. Eeminiscences of the lake scenery of the old
country were vividly awakened as we passed from
one apparently land-locked scene of beauty to
another. The high irregular hills were clothed with
forest trees almost hidden by briUiant orchids and
gigantic pendant creepers. Palms of various kinds
feathered the water's edge. Here and there fishing
villages peeped out, and everywhere graceful pago-
das and priests' houses gleamed amid the foliage.
Parroquets darted and hornbills winged their heavy
flight across the stream, while chattering troops of
long-tailed black monkeys escorted the unusual visi-
tors along the banks.

The chief object of interest is the little rocky island
of Theehadaw, which boasts the only stone pagoda in
Burma, and is resorted to by numbers of pilgrims at
the great Buddhist festival in March. The pagoda
is of no great size, but is substantially built of
greyish sandstone admirably cut and laid in mortar.
The building rises from a quadrangular base, with a
chamber facing the east and closed with massive
doors. The three other faces have false doors, and
the sides of all, as well as the angles, are adorned
with quasi-Doric pilasters. Our attention, like that of
most pilgrims, was chiefly given to the famous tame

24 MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

fish. Having supplied ourselves with rice and plan-
tains, the boatmen, called " Tit-tit-tit." Soon the fish
appeared, about fifty yards off, and after repeated
cries, they were alongside, greedily devouring the
offering of food. In their eagerness they showed
their uncouth heads and great part of their backs,
to which patches of gold leaf, laid on by recent
devotees, still adhered. So tame were they that
they suffered themselves to be stroked, and seemed
to relish having their long feelers pulled. One
fellow to whom a plantain skin was thrown indig-
nantly rejected it, and dived in disgust.

For three miles above and three below the island
fishing is prohibited by royal order, and the priests,
who feed them daily, assured us that the fish never
stray beyond the boundaries of their sanctuary. An
offer of fifty rupees failed to secure a single specimen,
but it may be here told that on another occasion,
under cover of night, and without Burmese observa-
tion, one was hooked, and, though not easily, landed,
photographed, and duly preserved. Two miles
above the island we stopped at Thingadaw to coal.
This is a depot for the produce of the coal mines,
which having been accidentally discovered by some
hunters were being worked by the king.

We set out to visit a newly opened mine, said to
be two miles distant, but failed to find it after a
walk of two hours over a broken undulating country
covered with dense tree and bamboo jungle.
The soil is poor and sandy, save in hollows, which

COAL MINES. 25

afford good grazing to ponies and cattle. Fos-
silised wood abounds all over the surface, and soft
white and reddish sandstones crop out, so soft that
the cart wheels cut them into deep ruts. In these
places the surface presented a remarkable appear-
ance, being covered with symmetrical pillars of soft
reddish sand, two inches high, and capped by a hard
ashen-grey top of the consistence of stone, and as
large as a penny piece. The little pillars in many
places had crumbled away, and the soil was strewed
with the little caps, giving it the appearance of an
ash heap. In a later visit to the coal district, made
from Kabyuet, a little south of Theehadaw, we had
the assistance of the headman of the mines, who
was most anxious to show us everything and secure
a good report to the king.

At the first mine, called Lek-ope-bin, five miles
from the river, the coal-bed, six feet thick, crops out
in a hollow, and dips south-west at an angle ot
thirty-five degrees. A little to the north-east is the
Ket-zu-bin mine, said to yield the best coal. During
our visit a few men were quarrying the coal with
common wood axes and wooden-handled chisels, so
that they could only win a small quantity of broken
coal. Under proper management these mines could
give an abundant supply of useful fuel. We learned
that the sand of an adjacent stream is washed for
gold, and a single worker can make 303 yuey =
3s. per diem.

The black sand of the Pon-nah, a stream falling

26 MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

into the Irawady, is also washed for gold, which it
is said to yield in large quantities at a place two
days' journey up the stream.

On the lYth of January, we reached the northern
entrance of the defile, marked by two prominent
headlands — the western one crowned by the pagoda
of Male, or Man-le, formerly Muang-le, and the
eastern by those of the old Shan town of Tsam-
penago, above which none but Chinese could for-
merly trade.*

Male contains about three hundred houses, and is
the customs port for clearing boats bound from Bhamo
to Mandalay, and the centre of a considerable trade
in bamboo mats, sesamum oil, and jaggery. From it
we beheld rising to the eastward the fine peaked
mountains of Shuay-toung, about six thousand feet
high, on which snow is said to lie in the winter.

Above Male the river widens to a great breadth,
with numerous islands, as far as Khyan-Nhyat.
Thence it contracts to an unbroken stream about one
hundred yards wide, flowing for twenty-two miles
between high, weU-wooded banks.

Having halted at Tsinuhat, a little village to the
south of a long promontory, on which are the ruins
of Tagoung and Old Pagan, we made a short ex-
cursion to the sites of these ancient capitals. Ac-
cording to the Burmese chronicles, Tagoung was
founded by Abhi-raja — of the Shakya kings of
Kappilawot — who fled before the invasion of his
* Hannay, ' Soloction of Papers,' Calcutta, 1873.

TAGOUNG AND OLD PAGAN. 27

country by the king of Kauthala or Oudli. After
the death of A.bhi-raja the succession was disputed
by his two sons. They agreed that each should
endeavour to construct a large building in one night,
and that the crown should belong to him whose
building should be found completed by the morning.
As usual in legends, the younger son outwitted the
elder. He artfully set up a framework of bamboos
and planks, covered with cloth and whitewashed
over, so as to present the semblance of a finished
building. The elder brother, believing himself to
have been vanquished by the aid of nats or demons,
migrated to Pegu, and finally settled in the city of
Arracan (Diniawadee).

The younger son assumed the throne at Tagoung,
and was succeeded by thirty-three kings. An in-
road of Tartars and Chinese, said to have come from
Kandahar,* destroyed the city and expelled the last
of the dynasty, who had married Nagazein, whose
name indicates one of the mythical serpent race.
This event may be referred to the century pre-
ceding the Christian era, and, according to the late
Dr. Mason, must have occurred after the Tartar
conquest of Bactria.f

* In tlie ecclesiastical translation of the classical localities of
Indian Buddhism to Indo-China, which is current in Burma,
Yunnan is represented by Gandhara or Kandahar. Yule's ' Marco
Polo,' ii. p. 59, edition of 1874.

I Colonel Yule remarks that " Tartars on the Indian frontier
in those centuries are surely to be classed with the Frenchmen
whom Brennus led to Rome" ('Marco Polo,' i. p. 12).

28 MANX)ALAY TO BHAMO.

After the death of the Tagoung king, one portion
of his people migrated eastwards and founded the
Shan states. Another, under the widowed queen
Nagazein, settled on the river Male. After the
advent of Gaudama and the second overthrow of
the cities of the Shakya kings, one of their race,
named Daza-Yaza, migrated to Male, and, having
there found and married Nagazein, founded Upper
or Old Pagan. A dense forest of magnificent timber
and thousands of seedling eng trees surrounds and
covers the sites and ruins of the ancient cities, of
which nothing now remains but low lines and shape-
less masses of brickwork. Near them stand pagodas
of later date, still in tolerable preservation. Of the
most ancient within the bounds of Old Pagan, only a
single wall remained, behind a seated Buddha eight
feet high. From the former we obtained small
metal images of Buddha, and from the pagoda in Old
Pagan bricks bearing in relief an image of Gaudama
as the preceding Buddha. One of these was exactly
the same as that described by Captain Hannay.
Each bears an inscription in the old Devanagari
character, beginning, " Ye Dhamma."

The ancient name of Tagoung is now borne by a
little fishing-village of forty houses. At the time of
our passage the villagers were located in temporary
huts on a long sandbank, and busily engaged in
preparing ngape or mashed salt-fish. The fishing
stakes were fixed athwart a deep narrow channel
separating the sandbank from the village. Such

NGAP;^. 29

fishing-stations are numerous all along the river.
Every morning large quantities of fish are taken,
and sold by weight to the makers of ngape. The
fish, when cleaned, are packed between layers of salt
and trodden down by the feet in long baskets lined
with the leaves of the eng tree. While this narrative
was being prepared for the press, a suggestion was
made in the columns of a most able weekly paper
that in the event of difficulties with Burma the
Viceroy of India should prohibit the exportation
from British Burma of ngape, " which must be
imported from the seaboard." Undoubtedly there is a
large exportation from our territories, but the fish
composing that curious Burmese condiment, which,
as Yule says, resembles " decayed shrimp paste," are
caught in the Irawady. The upper river teems
with fish ; fourteen species * were purchased by
us at Tagoung, and the numerous fishing-villages
could probably render the capital independent of the
supply from British Burma.

The Shuay-mein-toung hills, on the right or
western bank, opposite Tagoung, are very high, and
wooded to their summits, with white pagodas peeping
out amidst the dense foliage. A few miles to the
north they recede from the river, where, on the

* Wallago attu, Blocli and Schn. ; Callichrous bimaculatus,
M'Lelland ; Macrones cavasius, H. B. ; Macrones corsula, H. B. ;
Labeo ccdbasu, H. B. ; Laheo churehius, H. B. ; Cirrhina mrigala,
H. B. ; Barbus sarana, H. B. ; Barbus apogon, 0. and V. ; Carassius
auratus, Linn. ; Gaila buchanani, C. and V. ; Bhotee cotio, H. B. ;
Bhotee microlepis, Blytli ; Notopteriis kapirat, Bonn.

30 MANDALAY TO BHAM6.

eastern bank, the isolated range of the Tagoung-
toung-daw, .about twenty miles long and one
thousand feet high, runs almost parallel to the river,
in its intervening valley six miles wide. The
Irawady is here studded with large islands,
covered with long grass and forest trees ; during
the rains they are submerged, and become very
dangerous to descending boats. A serpentine course,
following a broad deep channel to the east of the
large island of Chowkyoung, brought us to the
town of Thigyain on the right bank, opposite to the
village of Myadoung on the left. This latter gives
its name to the district south of Bhamo. Here we
were startled by the news that the Woon of Bhamo,
to whom we were accredited, had been killed during
a riot at Momeit, about thirty-six miles south-east of
Myadoung. The Woon had proceeded thither with
a force of three hundred men to collect taxes, when
the Shans and Kkahyens broke out into revolt and
surrounded the royal troops, many of whom, with
their leader, had been killed. It was impossible not
to feel a presentiment that this untoward event
would prove a source of delay, by compelling us to
deal with subordinates who would be timid, even if
well disposed to assist. We passed, hidden by an
island, the mouth of the Shuaylee, three miles above
Myadoung, and halted at Katha, on the right bank,
the largest place met with since Shienpagah. It is
a long town, containing at least two hundred well-
built timber houses, disposed in two parallel streets.

KATHA. 31

and surrounded by bamboo palisades with three
gates. It is the head-quarters of the woon of a
considerable district, inhabited by Shan-Burmese.
Long hollows of rich alluvium cultivated for rice,
and closed in by undulating land covered with
valuable forest trees, including teak, separate the
town from the western hills. Some cotton is grown
and tobacco largely raised on the islands and sand-
banks. At the time of our visit, a number of Shan
merchants had arrived with salted tea-leaves and
other commodities. A few Yunnan Chinese, who had
probably come down the Shuaylee, were also in the
town. The people seemed well-clad and well-to-do,
and the women were busily employed in weaving
and preparing coloured cotton yarns for the manu-
facture of putzos and tameins.

A dense morning fog delayed our departure from
Katha, and the whole population of the town
swarmed on board the steamer. After satisfying their
curiosity with the novelties of machinery, &c., we be-
thought ourselves of amusing them with a magnetic
battery. At first all held back, but a few more
venturous spirits leading the way, the operators
were speedily besieged by eager candidates for a
shock. The grimaces of each patient produced
shouts of laughter. The good-humoured Shans
discovered or fancied that the shock was good for
would-be parents ; some coaxed their timid wives
to the front, while the matrons brought up their
pretty young daughters to obtain a share of the

32 MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

benefits going. Above Katha tlie river is broken
up by large islands into tortuous, deep, and narrow
channels. Large flocks of geese kept passing us for
nearly an hour, and the sandbanks and shores of the
islands were covered with varieties of wild ducks.
As evening closed in, at Shuaygoo-myo, immense
flocks of Herodias garzetta, or the little egret, were
seen roosting in the tall grass and on the high trees,
which seemed illuminated by their white forms.

In this neighbourhood we saw several villages
deserted for fear of the Kakhyens, who had occupied
some of the abandoned houses.

Two of our party set out to visit and make their
first acquaintance with those wild highlanders, who
reminded them of the East Karens ; they were civil,
but declined an invitation to the steamer, pleading
that they must rejoin their chief, but really fearing
reprisals from the Burmese. Of their kidnapping
habits, several proofs were given, one being in the
person of a boy of Chinese extraction, who had been
sold by them to the village headman for twenty -five
rupees. At our departure in the morning, young-
women and boys raced along the river-side, keeping
up with us, to secure protection from the hillmen on
the way to their villages. We were also informed
that the priests' pupils who collected food from
village to village were obliged to creep along
under the high banks to escape the kidnappers.
Subsequent experience has shown that the villagers
on the eastern shore, as far as Bhamo, are in the

THE SHUAYBAW PAGODAS. 33

habit of sleeping in boats moored in the river ; only
thus can they be secure from the nocturnal raids of
their dangerous neighbours.

Leaving Shuaygoo-myo, we passed the large island
of Shuaybaw, with its thousand pagodaS, their
bright golden htees strikingly contrasting with the
rich green massive foliage, above which they rose.
The great pagoda is about sixty feet high, enclosed
on two sides by a richly carved zayat of teak with
an elaborately decorated roof, and a cornice of small
niches, containing seated marble Buddhas. Two
broad paved ways, one known as the Shuaygoo-
myo and the other as the Bhamo entrance, approach
the pagoda, which is three quarters of a mile distant
from the river. Numerous zayats cluster round the
central shrine, piled to the ceiling with Buddhistic
figures in metal, wood, and white marble, offered
by the worshippers who yearly throng this holy
place sanctified by the footprint of Gaudama.

Three miles above the island is the entrance to
the second defile, where the Irawady flows through a
magnificent gorge piercing a range of hills at right
angles. For five miles the deep dark green current,
narrowed to three hundred yards, but deepening to
one hundred and eighty feet and more, is overhung
by gigantic precipices. Their summits are mostly
covered with scanty stunted trees, but some rise
bare, with splintery peaks, and red, rocky escarp-
ments ; lower down their bold sides are mantled in
dark green forest, picked out here and there with the

D

34 MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

fresher green of festooned clumps of bamboos, palms,
and luxuriant mus^. Little fishing-villages enclosed
in bamboo palisades lie snugly in the hollows. Enter-
ing the defile, we rounded a many-peaked hill on the
left bank, which rose precipitously four hundred feet,
its outKne broken by huge black rocks standing out
against the blue sky. The little white pagoda of
Yethaycoo, in front of a cave, and dominating a
grey limestone precipice one hundred and fifty feet
in height, looked across the gorge to a phoongyee's
house perched on high, and accessible only by
bamboo ladders. The most striking feature was
the great limestone precipice which rose like a
gigantic wall eight hundred feet from- the water's
edge. This is the Deva-faced cliff celebrated in the
mythical history of Tsampenago. At its base the
little pagoda of Sessoungan was perched on a de-
tached pyramid of limestone embowered in fine
trees. During the March festival many devotees
scale the long bamboo ladders which form the only
access to the shrine. The Buddhist love for pre-
serving animal life is here manifested towards the
large monkeys {Macacus assamensis, M'Lelland),
which, like the tame fish, come when called, and
devour the offerings of the devotees. Projecting
and depending from the precipice were huge masses
of stalagmite formation, seemingly liable to fall at
any moment. Water was dripping over them, and
the natives say that during the rains the water
pours over the face of the precipice in a tremendous

irei^^MXI^^

rS %M ■««

if II Is *

•^

o

I 'I
ll '

nil
I'l 'I I

I, III, ' I

,1 I Ni'll

THE SECOND DEFILE. 35

cascade, the roar of which is deafening. It may
well be so, for the echoes in the defile are most
wonderful, echoing and re-echoing in almost har-
monious reverberations. In the earliest morning
the loud shouting of the hoolock monkeys in the
forest made the whole air resonant, as it was taken
up by another troop on the opposite bank, and
echoed along the hills and from cliff to cliff in
a constant wave of sound, curiously blended with
which rang the shrill crowing of jungle cocks. As
the sun rose higher, a deep bass was supplied by the
hum of innumerable bees, whose pendant nests thickly
studded the rocky projections of the precipice. At
the next turn of the river another pagoda, with a
handsome many-roofed zayat by its side, high on the
western hills, marked the northern entrance of the
defile, and we soon passed the ancient mart of
Kaungtoung, celebrated for the repulse of the
Chinese invading army in 1769, and the treaty which
thenceforward secured peace and commerce between
Burma and China. Subsequently it became a rival of
Bhamo as an emporium of Chinese trade by the valley
of the Shuaylee and the Muangmow route. The river
now spread itself into a broad stream, broken up by
islands and sandbanks, but in some places not less
than a mile and half wide between the main banks.
In front of the village of Sawady a long stretch of
sand was occupied by a large encampment of Shan,
Chinese, and other traders, a large fleet of boats
lying ready to convey the goods down the river.

D 2

36 MANDALAY TO BHAMO.

Here we sighted Bham6 in the distance, situated
on an elevated bank overlooking the river, the htees
of its few pagodas glistening brightly in the setting
sun. To the right the high range of the Kakhyen
hiUs was seen stretching away in an unbroken line
to the east-north-east, and on the left a low range of
undulating tree-clad hills bent round to join the
western heights of the defile.

The almost level sweep of country, about twenty-
five miles broad between these limits, was closed in,
about ten miles to the north, by another low range,
marking the upper khyoukdwen, or first defile, of
the Irawady.

AEEIVAL AT BHAMO. 37

CHAPTER 11.

BHAMO.

Arrival at Bhamo— Our quarters — The town — The Woon's house

— The Shan-Burmese — Kakhyen man-stealing — The enyirons —
Old Tsampenago — Legendary history — The Shuaykeenah pagodas

— The Molay river — The first defile — Delays and intrigues —
Sala — The new "Woon — Our departure — Tsitkaw — Mountain
muleteers — The Manloung lake — The phoongyee's farewell.

Wb found some difficulty in steering the long
steamer through the channels, but anchored about
5 P.M. on the 22nd of January off the river front
of Bham8, in a very deep and broad channel. Our
arrival attracted crowds, but the whistle and rush
of steam drove many into a precipitate retreat. "We
had now reached our true point of departure. "What-
ever had been the uncertainties of the untried navi-
gation of the river, the real dangers and difficulties
of the attempt to penetrate Western China were now
to begin. "We bore the proclamation of the king
commanding all Burmese subjects to aid us. But
there was no governor of Bhamo to execute the royal
orders, and the secret intentions or inclinations of
the Burmese were yet to be tested. The difficulties
of the unknown road over the Kakhyen mountains.

y

38 BHAMO.

the hostility or friendship of the mountaineers, and
of the Shan population between them and Yunnan,
were equally untried. Moreover, though it had
scarcely been realised in all its bearings by our own
/ British officials, Yunnan was no longer a well ordered
province of the Chinese empire; it was disorganised by
the successful rebelHon of the Mahommedan Chinese,
called Panthays by the Burmese, who had established
a partial sovereignty, extending from Momien to
Tali-fu. The frontier trade had been materially
interrupted, partly by the desolation caused by the
internecine warfare, and partly by the depredations
of imperial Chinese partisans. Of these, the most
dreaded leader was a Burman Chinese, known as
Li-sieh-tai, a faithful officer of the old regime,
who had established himself on the borders of
Yunnan, and waged a guerilla war against the
Panthays and their friends. His name is Li, and
his so-called small name is Chun-kwo, while from his
mother having been a Burmese, he is also known as
Li-haon-mien, or Li the Burman. As having been
raised to the rank of a Sieh-tai in the Chinese army,
he was called Li-sieh-tai or Brigadier Li.*

In Bhamo itself there were a number of Chinese
merchants, who were unlikely to favour any project
which threatened to admit the hated barbarians to a

* A distinguished continental Chinese scholar has informed me
that this title is a civil one, denoting commissioner. In the
absence of the Chinese characters, the exact title of this functionary
cannot be given.

OUE QUARTEE8. 39

share of their monopoly and profits. This may give
some idea of the state of things which we found on
our arrival. Our illusions as to a speedy or easy
progress were soon dissipated, and after a formal
visit from the two tsitkays, or magistrates, ruling
the northern and southern divisions of the town,
it became evident that we must prepare for a
long stay at Bhamo. The royal order to provide
transport had only been received by the Woon on
the eve of his departure on his fatal expedition to
Momeit. Nothing, therefore, had been done ; nor
could they venture to act until the new governor
arrived. The next best thing was to insist on their
carrying into effect the royal order to build a house
for us, which had not been done. This they re-
luctantly performed, and in a few days a bamboo
edifice was run up close to the Woon's house, con-
sisting of a central hall, with three bedrooms on
either side, and a verandah at each end of the house.
A small outhouse accommodated the servants and
baggage, and the guard was quartered in an adjacent
zayat ; a tent pitched in front of the house served
as a refectory. Till these quarters were prepared,
we remained on board the steamer, receiving crowds
of visitors. In the press a heavy log of timber fell
on a little girl and fractured her thigh ; she was at
once carried on board, and the broken limb duly set.
This incident speedily established the reputation of
the foreign doctor, and for the rest of our stay
patients flocked in every day, some coming from long

40 BHAMO.

distances, and blind and lame eagerly expecting to
be made young and whole. A great deal of blindness
had resulted from small-pox. Ophthalmia was also
prevalent. A common affection was a form of ulcerous
inflammation, chiefly on the legs, amongst those
whose occupation led them into the jungles. This
was so intractable as to incline one to attribute it to
poisonous thorns; but subsequent personal experience
proved that slight bruises and abrasions are most
apt in this country to become painful and tedious.
During the whole time no case of fever was treated,
nor did any occur among our party of one hundred
men. This speaks volumes for the salubrity of the
place during the dry season. The highest temperature
experienced was 80° Fahrenheit, the average maxi-
mum being not more than 6G° Fahrenheit, while
the nights were very pleasant, cooling down, if we
may put it so, to fifty or forty-five degrees. Fever
is rather more prevalent during the rains, when
the Irawady rolls down a huge volume of water, a
mile and half broad, and the low lands are submerged
twelve to fifteen feet.*

But this is a digression somewhat professional, and
it is needful to revert to the narrative and try to give
the reader some notion of our surroundings and pro-
ceedings until we got away fairly on the march.

Bhamo, known by the Chinese as Tsing-gai, and
in Pali called Tsin-ting, is a narrow town about one.

* The meteorological registers kept at the British Eesidency
show the annual rainfall at Bhamo to be 65 inches.

THE TOWN. 41

mile long, occupying a high prominence on the left
bank of the Irawady, Instead of walls, there is a
stockade about nine feet high, consisting of split
trees driven side by side into the ground and
strengthened with crossbeams above and below.
This paling is further defended on the outside by a
forest of bamboo stakes fixed in the ground and
projecting at an acute angle. However formidable
to bare-footed natives, the stockade does not always
exclude tigers, which pay occasional visits, and during
our stay killed a woman as she sat with her com-
panions. There are four gates, one at either end
and two on the eastern side, which are closed
immediately after sunset ; a guard is stationed at
the northern and southern gates, while several
look-out huts perched at intervals on the stockade
are manned when an attack of the Kakhyens is
expected. The population numbers about two thou-
sand five hundred souls, occupying about five
hundred houses, which form three principal streets.
There are many thickly wooded by-paths, and
bridges over a swamp in the centre of the town,
leading to scattered houses, dilapidated pagodas,
zayats, and monasteries.

The street following the course of the bank, with
high flights of steps ascending from the river, has a
row of houses on either side, with a row of teak
planks laid in the middle to aflford dry footing during
the rains. The houses of the central portion are all
small one-storied cottages, built of sun-drie bricks,

42 BHAM6.

with tiled concave roofs with deep projecting eaves.
Through an open window the proprietor can be
seen calmly smoking behind a little counter, for
this is the Chinese quarter, and the colony of perhaps
two hundred Celestials here offer for sale Manchester
goods, Chinese yarns, ball tea, opium, Yunnan pota-
toes, lead, and vermilion, &c. They also regulat,e
the cotton market, and the traffic in this product,
which is brought both from the south and the
north, is carried on even during the rains. The
head Chinaman, who is responsible for order amongst
his compatriots, is a man of great influence. He and
his fellow merchants, professing great friendship,
invited us to a grand feast and theatrical enter-,
tainment given in the Chinese temple, or rather in
the theatre which formed a portion thereof. We
entered through what was to us a novelty in this
country, a circular doorway, into a paved court. The
theatrical portion of the building was over the en-
trance to a second court, facing the sanctuary, which
is on a higher level. A covered terrace surrounded
the holy place on three sides, with recesses contain-
ing seated figures nearly life size, with rubicund faces
and formidable black beards and moustaches. Each
of these was carefully protected from dust by being
enshrined in a square box closed in front with gauze
netting. Besides the theatrical entertainment, which
was interminable, we were regaled with preserved
fruits and confectionery, with tea and samshu, or rice
spirit, followed by numerous courses of pork, fowls,

THE WOON'S HOUSE. 43

&c. The staple of conversation was the dangers and
impossibilities of getting through, to Yunnan ; every
argument they could think of to induce us to abandon
the idea of progress was then and afterwards em-
ployed. It can readily be imagined that the Bham6
Chinese traders viewed with utter dismay the prospect
of Europeans sharing their trade ; to their schemes
of hindrance we shall again recur.

The rest of the townspeople are exclusively Shan-
Burmese, living in small houses bxiilt of teak and
bamboo, all detached and raised on piles. The
Woon's house, on a low promontory running out into
the swamp behind the Chinese quarter, was a large
tumbledown timber and bamboo structure; but its
double roof and high palisade covered with bamboo
mats marked the dignity of its occupier. A small
garden overrun with weeds contained the remains of
a rockery and fish-pond, and a neglected brass
cannon, under a low thatched shed, guarded either
side of the gate ; in a large adjacent space stood the
courthouse. All the public buildings were then in a
state of dilapidation and decay ; this the inhabitants
attributed to Kakhyen raids, destructive fires, decay
of trade since the Panthay wars, and misrule. Evi-
dence was not wanting in the numerous neglected
pagodas and timber bridges, and in the ruinous
and charred remains of what must have been
handsome zayats, that Bhamo, in palmier days,
deserved the eulogiums passed on it by Hannay
and other travellers.

U BHAM6.

The Shan- Burmese seemed a peaceful, industrious
class. In each house a loom is found in the veran-
dah, and ^he girls are taught to weave from an
early age. The women are always busy weaving
silk or cotton putzos and tameins, preparing yarns,
husking rice, or feeding and tending the buffaloes,
besides doing their household duties. The men till
the fields, but are not so industrious as the softer sex.
A few are employed in smelting lead, and others
work in gold, or smelt the silver used as currency.
To six tickals* of pure silver purchased from the
Kakhyens, one tickal eight annas of copper wire are
added, and melted with alloy of as much lead as
brings the whole to ten tickals' weight. The opera-
tion is conducted in saucers of sun-dried clay bedded
in paddy husk, and covered over with charcoal.
The bellows are vigorously plied, and as soon as
the mass is at a red heat, the charcoal is removed,
and a round flat brick button previously covered
with a layer of moist clay is placed on the amalgam,
which forms a thick ring round the edge, to which
lead is freely added to make up the weight. As it
cools, there results a white disc of silver encircled by
a brownish ring. The silver is cleaned and dotted
with cutch, and is then weighed and ready to be cut
up. Another industry is confined to the women,
who make capital chatties from a tenacious yellow
clay, which overlies this portion of the river valley,
in some places forty feet thick ; the earthenware is
* One tickal = rather more than half an ounce troy.

KAKHYEN MAN-STEALING. 45

coloured red with a ferruginous substance found in
nodules embedded in the clay.

From the same clay, a number of Shan-Cbinese
from Hotba and Latha make sun-dried bricks outside
tbe town, and a colony of the same people sojourn
every winter at Bhamo, making dahs, or long knives,
which are in great demand. A number of Kakhyens
are often to be seen near the town, bringing rice,
opium, silver, and pigs for sale. Their chief object
is to procure salt, for which necessary they are de-
pendent on Burma. They are not allowed to encamp
within the town, but are compelled to shelter them-
selves outside the gates, in miserable wigwams. The
Burmese assigned as a reason for their exclusion
their dread of theKakhyen propensity for kidnapping-
children and even men, and also because a small
party might be the precursors of a raid.* A few
days after our arrival, four children who had been
stolen were recovered. One of them was brought
by her mother, to show the large round holes bored
in the back of the ears as a sign of servitude. The
other three were little fat Chinese children, and
adopted by the head tsitkay. A curious illustration
of their habits of man-stealing was also afforded us.

The Burmese interpreter found among the Kakh-
yens outside the town a man who privately told him

* Since the date of tli's visit, rest-houses have been erected fur
the Kakhyens by the Burmese authorities, and also by the British
Resident ; and some of these natives are always to be found
temporarily occupying them.

46 BHAM6.

that he was a kala, or foreigner, who had been ten
years in slavery ; having heard of the arrival of
the kalas, he anxiously desired an interview. His
features showed that he was a native of India,
and his history, given in a jumble of Burmese,
Kakhyen, and Hindostani, was as follows. Deen
Mahomed, a petty trader from Midnapore, had
come to Burma with nine others ten years before.
They stayed a year at Tongoo, thence making
their way up as far as Bhamo. In this neigh-
bourhood, during a halt for cooking, all had gone
to seek firewood save Deen Mahomed and an-
other, who were in charge of the goods. A party of
Kakhyens suddenly rushed out of the bush, and
seized both men and goods. His comrade was
taken away he knew not where, and he was carried
off as a slave. A log of wood was fastened to one
of his legs, and he was further secured by ropes
fastened to this, and braced over his shoulders. This
he wore for two months, during which time he was
not made to work, but was guarded by a Kakhyen.
He was then released on his promise to remain. A
few days after, the village was plundered by a hostile
tribe, but he and his master escaped to another
village, where he was bartered for a buffalo to
another man. His new master treated him well,
but did not allow him to leave the hills, and after
two or three years gave him a Kakhyen wife. He
had almost forgotten his native language, but not his
native country. As soon as he heard of our arrival.

THE ENVIEONS. 47

he resolved to ask our aid in his dehverance. We sent
him among his fellow-countrymen of the guard, who
clothed him, and he was installed as a groom, and
taken with us as an interpreter. That his story was
true, we had confirmation, as his quondam master
preferred a claim for compensation for his loss.

The country behind Bham6 runs up to the base of
the mountain wall in undulations so long as to present
the general aspect of a level slope, covered with eng
trees and tall grass. For about a mile outside the
stockade, the surface is cut up by numerous deep
jheels, evidently old backwaters of the Irawady,
which once flowed in a long curve, marked by an
old river bank, south-east of the town. The soil,
especially in the hollows, is very rich, giving two
crops of rice annually. Numerous legumes, yams,
and melons, and a little cotton are grown, and the
sandy river islands yield capital tobacco.

The edible fruits procurable are jacks, tamarinds,
lemons, citrons, peaches, &c., and plantains are
plentiful.

About a mile north of the town, the Tapeng river
debouches into the Irawady, after flowing twenty
miles through the plain as a quiet navigable stream,
hardly recognisable as the furious torrent which
rushes through the neighbouring gorge. During
the dry season, it is one hundred and fifty to two
hundred yards wide, and navigable only by boats,
which convey a constant traffic between the Irawady
and Tsitkaw, where the merchandise is transferred

48 BHAMO.

to and from mules. During the rains, the Tapeng is
at least five hundred yards wide, and navigable for
small river steamers up to this place.

Occupying the angle between the two rivers, the
remains of an ancient city are still discernible,
though completely overgrown by magnificent trees
and thickets of bamboo and elephant grass. The
broad wall, composed of bricks and pebbles, can be
traced from the river banks at its northern and
southern extremities, which are a mile apart. We
followed one section for three quarters of a mile, and
found it in some places thirty feet high from the
bottom of the moat, which is still traceable. The
ruins, which, to judge from appearances, are coeval
with those of Tagoung, mark the site of the oldest
Tsampenago. This city, according to tradition,
quoted by the old phoongyee at Bhamo, flourished in
the days of Graudama. There is yet another ruined
city of the same name on the other side of the
Tapeng, which does not present the same appearance
of great antiquity. Twelve miles to the east of
Bhamo are the ruins of another city named Kuttha,
while Bhamo itself has a predecessor in the village
called Old BhamS, near the foot of the Kakhyen
hills, the former importance of which is witnessed
by its ruined pagodas. Here too is that old brick
building mentioned by Dr. Bayfield as probably
the remains of the old English factory erected in
the beginning of the seventeenth century. We
have little but conjecture to guide us as to the

OLD TSAMPENAGO. 49

vicissitudes of these ancient cities of the Shan king-
dom of Pong. As elsewhere in Burma, each new-
founder of a dynasty seems to have transferred the
seat of power to a new site. But the legend of
the origin of Tsampenago, of which the. history of
Bhamo is a continuation, may be more interesting
than dryasdust details of antiquity.*

Tsampenago is the Burmese form of a Pali name,
Champa-nagara, from nagam, town, and Champa, the
seat of a powerful kingdom, flourishing in the era
of Gaudama, the ruins of which are still visible
near Bhaugulpore, on the Granges. Tsampenago,
then, means the city of Champa.

The founder and first king of Tsampenago was
Tsitta, and his queen's name was Wattee. They
were childless, which was a cause of great grief, and
the queen prayed earnestly for an heir. A son was
promised to her by a dream, in which the king of
the Devas presented her with a valuable gem.
Soon after this, the king's brother Kuttha rebelled,
and attacked the city with a great army. The king
and queen fled for their lives to Wela, a mountain
three thousand feet high, a day's journey north of
Tsampenago. They were pursued, but the queen
escaped and was preserved by the nats, on the
mountain, where her son was born and named
Welatha. The king was taken prisoner and confined
in chains. When Welatha was six years old, he

* For tliis the writer is indebted to the learning and industry
of tlic late Ecv. Dr. Mason.

E

60 BHAMO.

saw his mother in tears, and by questioning her
learned that he was a prince, and his father a
captive. "When he was seven, his mother yielded to
his importunity, and sent him, with her royal orna-
ments, to visit his father. On approaching Tsam-
penago, he met his father being led out to execution.
The brave boy stopped the procession, and revealed
himself, offering to die instead of his father, Kuttha
ordered him to be thrown into the Irawady. But
the river rose in tremendous waves, the earth shook,
and the executioners could not, for terror, obey the
royal order. This being reported to Kuttha, he
ordered that the prince should be trodden to death
by wild elephants, but the beasts could not be
goaded to attack him. A deep pit was dug and filled
with burning fuel, into which the prince was cast,
but the flames came on him like cool water, and the
burning fagots became lilies. When Kuttha heard
this, in his fury he had the young prince taken down
to the Deva-faced mountain (second defile), and cast
from the great precipice into the river, but he was
caught up by a naga, and carried away to the naga
country. The earth quaked, many thunderbolts fell,
the Irawady rolled up its waves, and broke down its
banks. Kuttha was seized with terror, and as he
fled forth of the city gate, the earth opened and
swallowed him up. Thereupon, the nagas brought
back the young prince and his father, and they reigned
jointly. Their first care was to seek for the queen,
but on approaching the mountain of Wela, the

LEGENDARY HISTORY. 51

flowers were few, and their fragrance gone, and tlie
queen was found dead. History says nothing of
their after reign, but records that in the 218th
year of the Buddhist sacred era, in obedience to
the command of the universal monarch, four pago-
das were built in the kingdom of Tsampenago —
the Shuaykeenah, the Bhamo Shuay-za-tee ; Koung-
ting, and two others. The next item of history
states that in the year 400 of the era (probably the
vulgar era of 638 a.d.) the succession of kings being
destroyed, and the glory of the former rulers having
departed, the tsawbwa Tholyen did not dare to live
in the city ; so he founded a new one at the village
of Manmau, and made it his capital. Now man is
Shan for village, and mau for a pot ; thus Bhamo,
or Manmau, signifies Potters' Village, a name still
justified by the pottery there manufactured. How
Tsampenago was destroyed, is not historically
certain, but a tradition exists among the Shans, that
it was overthrown by an army of Singphos from the
north-west. After Tholyen, twenty-three tsawbwas
are said to have ruled in succession at Bham6 over a
district comprising one hundred and thirty-six
villages. The succession was then broken, and the
country was ruled by Shan deputies. After this,
tsawbwas were obtained from Momeit, who ruled
over Bhamo till Oo-Myat-bung and his family were
made slaves by the great Alompra about 1760.
Ever since, the district has been governed by
myo-woons appointed by the king of Burma. The

E 2

52 BHAMO.

first, Thoonain, settled the boundaries of the
district, including only eighty-eight villages, the
eastern and north-eastern boundaries being given
as China.

The legend of Tsampenago records the erection of
the Shuaykeenah pagoda, the name of which at least
is preserved to the present day by the group of pago-
das situated on an eminence north of Tsampenago.
These are still the holy places of the neighbour-
hood, and are thronged with pilgrims at the March
festival. The great gilded pagoda has been re-edified
by royal bounty and popular offerings, but others
are from time to time added by private votaries.
Thus it was our good fortune to witness the laying
the foundation of a votive pagoda at Shuaykeenah.
A small square of ground, the exact size of the base
of the intended pagoda, was railed off by a fantastic
bamboo fence, two feet high, decorated with flowers
and paper flags. A wooden pin, covered with silver
tinsel, and bearing a lighted yellow taper, was fixed
in the centre, and another about two feet from the
south-eastern corner of the level plot ; round the first
a quadrangular trench, and a deep hole by the side
of the other were dug and sprinkled with water.
Eight bricks, each the exact size of one side of the
trench, were prepared. On four the name of G-audama
was inscribed in black paint ; on the others, a leaf of
gold was placed on the centre of one, silver on the
second, a square of green paint on the third, and
red on the fourth, each having a border of green. A

THE SHUAYKEENAH PAGODAS. b'6

round earthen vase containing gold, .silver, and pre-
cious stones, besides rice and sweetmeats, was closed
witli wax in which a lighted taper was stuck, and
deposited in the south-east hole, by the builder of the
pagoda, who repeated a long prayer, while the earth
was filled in and sprinkled with water. This was an
offering to the great earth serpent, in the direction
of whose abode the south-east corner pointed. It
is an interesting relic of the snake worship once
so prevalent among the Shan race to the south,
which, like nat worship, has been incorporated in
Buddhism. Another instance is afforded in some of.
the Yunnan shrines, where the canopy over Buddha
is supported by many-headed snakes, as occurs iu
some Indian temples. In the next part of the
ceremony, the depositing of the bricks in the trench,
the Shan was assisted by his grandmother, wife, and
daughter ; he knelt at the north, faced by his wife,
his daughter on his right hand, and the grand-
mother on the left. The silvered brick, with a
lighted taper on it, was handed to the old woman,
who raised it over her head, and, devoutly murmuring
a long prayer, placed it in the trench ; the wife did
the same with the red brick and its taper, and the
daughter followed with the green, while her father
took the gold one. The girl, in raising her briclc.
burst out laughing, amused, as we were told, at hav-
ing forgotten her prayers. The four bricks having
been properly deposited, the others were next laid in
order the sacred name downwards, and a layer of

54 BHAMO.

cloth spread over all. Earth was then thrown in and
sprinkled with water, and the hole having been fiUed
up, the ceremony was over.

Four miles above Shuaykeenah and the mouth of
the Tapeng, the Irawady receives the waters of the
Molay. It is a narrow stream, rising in the Kakhyen
hills, with a course of ninety-six miles, for thirty of
which it is navigable during the rains, and a small
boat traffic exists, chiefly for the conveyance of
salt.

While our leader was engaged planning for our
departure with the officials, three of us made a
hurried excursion to the first hhyouhdwen, or defile.
This portion of the river commences a few miles
above Bhamo, and extends for twenty-five miles,
nearly to Tsenbo.

Between these two points the river flows under
high wooded banks. At the lower entrance, the
channel is one thousand yards broad, but gradually
narrows to five hundred, two hundred, and even
seventy yards, as the parallel ranges approach each
other. As we ascended, the hills rose higher and
closed in, rising abruptly from the stream and throw-
ing out a succession of grand rocky headlands. We
moored for the night off a Phwon village standing
on a cliff eighty feet high, just above the first so-
called rapids. The next day, after we had proceeded
about seven miles, we came to a reach in which the
river flowed sluggishly between two high conical
hills, which seemed to present no outlet. The quiet

THE FIEST DEFILE. 55

motion and deep olive black hue of the water
suggested great depth.*

This reach extended about one mile and a half,
with a breadth of two hundred and fifty yards, closing
in at the upper end, where the channel is broken up
by rocks jutting out boldly, and approaching each
other within eighty yards. A pagoda, apparently
of great age, perched on a small isolated rock,
rising about forty-five feet from the stream, seemed
to indicate the limit of the rising of the waters, as
it could not have withstood the flood. This rocky
reach stretches a mile in a north-north-westerly
direction, and terminates abruptly in an elbow, from
which another clear reach, overhung by precipitous
but grassy hills, extends east-north-east.

This bend of the river is one of the most dangerous
parts, owing to numerous insulated greenstone rocks
which stretch across it, exposed twenty feet and more
in February. Owing to the sudden bend, the current
rushes between them with great violence, but we
found no difficulty in effecting a passage for our
boats. Telling evidences were not wanting in the
high-water mark, twenty-five feet above the then
level, and in the shivered trunks of large trees and
debris of branches heaped in wild confusion among
the rocks, that the body of water pouring through
the narrow gorge must in the rains be enormous and
of terrific power. The navigation, with the present
obstructions unremoved, would be impossible for

* Bayfield found no bottom at twenty -five fatlioms.

56 BHAMO.

river steamers, but engineering skill could speedily
render the water way practicable if desired for
traffic. "We had not time to ascend to the northern
entrance of the defile, where the river, unconfined
by the hills, is again a majestic stream half a
mile in width. We could only look, and long for
an opportimity of exploring its course upwards to
the unknown regions whence it rolls down its mighty
flood. The problem of the Irawady's source and
course has yet to be solved ; but we had to return to
Bhamo, expecting the solution of our perplexities,
as to how and when we should reach Yunnan.

Four weeks had now been spent by our leader in
a fruitless attempt to get the tsitkays to assist in
making the necessary arrangements. What between
the novelty of their first introduction to enterprising
Englishmen, their dread of acting till the Woon
arrived, and last, though not least, their fear of
offending the influential Chinese, they could do
nothing, nor give any information. As the arrival
of large Shan caravans and companies of trading
Kakhyens proved, all routes were not closed. The
magistrates admitted a small trade existed by the
Tapeng and Ponline route; by this route it was
decided that we should go. It soon became known
to our leader that the Chinese merchants, failing to
deter us from proceeding, had taken more active
measures. They had written to the Kakhyen
tsawbwas, desiring them to withhold assistance, and
they further intrigued with the imperialist officer

SALA OF PONLINE.

Li-sieh-tai, who at this time threatened the road
to Mouiien and Tali-fu, entreating him to cut off
the expedition en route. The turning-point of our
fortunes had now arrived. We could gain no exact
information as to the poHtical relations of the Shans,
and only knew that the Panthay government ex-
tended to Momien, which was believed to be the
residence of Mahommedan chiefs of importance.

Major Sladen, with promptness and decision, re-
solved, unknown to all, to outwit the Chinese. He
despatched letters to the chiefs of Momien, explaining
the peaceful objects of the mission, and the appro-
bation given to it by the Burmese government under
our treaty, and pointing out the advantages of open-
ing the direct trade. These letters, with copies of the
treaty and proclamation, were secretly sent off by
three Kakhyens from the southern hills, who had
attached themselves to our interest.

The next character claiming our attention was
Sala, the Kakhyen chief of Ponline, who came to
Bhamo at the request of Sladen, after refusing to
comply with the order of the tsitkays. He visited
\is attired as a mandarin of the blue button, and
attended by six or eight armed followers. He carried
a gold umbrella, which he had received from the
king of Burma, with the title of papada raza, or
mountain king. There was nothing regal in his aspect
or bearing. He was a tall, thin ihan, with a con-
tracted chest, long neck, very small and retreating
forehead, while his oval and repulsive visage was

'v^

58 BHAMO.

adorned with higli cheek-bones, oblique eyes, and a
depression instead of a nose. During the interview,
when all the Burmese officials were present, he sat
ill at ease, with his eyes bent on the floor. We re-
ceived him as an independent chief, with the escort
drawn up under arms in his honour. But little
information was procured, as the interpreter, a
village tamone, could not be persuaded to give
correct versions of the chiefs short and almost mono-'
syllabic answers. So Sladen brought the interview
to a pleasant close by offering a friendly cup of eau
de vie. This seemed to suit the chief, and he and
his retinue finished a bottle of brandy, and asked
for more. His parting words were, " Remember the
brandy, and send it to me quickly."

The following day, at a private interview, the chief
threw off his former reserve, which he said had been
forced on him, as he could not afford to offend the
Bhamo Chinese. It was his own wish to assist the
mission, but he stipulated for a small Burmese escort,
to show that we had the full support of the king.
He engaged to assemble a hundred mules at Tsitkaw,
a village on the right bank of the Tapeng twenty-
one miles distant ; thence he undertook to conduct us
safely to Manwyne, the first Chinese Shan town, and
boasted himself as the greatest chief on the route,
and on good terms with all the tsawbwas.

The new Woon arrived on the 20th of February,
but declined to land for three days, as they were
dies nefasti. In the meantime he sent word that we

THE NEW WOON. 59

might have boats to take the baggage to Tsitkaw,
but advised us to wait until he had fired his guns, and
brought in the various Kakhyen chiefs. The day after
his landing, Sladen, with Sala, visited him, and the
Ponline chief asked for a Burmese guard, alleging
as a precedent that a guard had been sent up with
the king's cotton. The Woon, however, declared it
to be quite unnecessary and uncalled for, and told
the chief that the cases were quite different. The
tsawbwa then consented to take us on without the ,
guard, but told the Woon that he had received'^"*
threatening letters from the Chinese. The Woon
admitted his knowledge of the Chinese opposition,
and promised to admonish the head Chinaman at ^■
Bhamo that he would be held responsible for our
safety. The morning after the Woon arrived, he
proceeded in state to the court-house, escorted by
two hundred men. He wore the fantastic dress of
a Burmese prince, a short tight richly coloured coat
covered with gold tinsel, with two enormous wing-Hke
epaulettes, and a tall gilt hat like a fireman's helmet,
surmounted by a pagoda-Hke spire. His appoint-
ment was read, and the guns fired, after an hour had
been spent in driving home the powder and cartridge
of green plantain leaf. Our baggage was despatched
the next day, but two difficulties remained. We had
no Kakhyen interpreters, and the rupees, which were
said to be useless in the Shan country, had not been
changed, for no country silver was to be foimd '7
in Bhamo, a mysterious and suggestive fact. But

60 BHAMO.

these were not held sufficient to delay our departure,
which took place on the morning of the 26th of
February. Our want of a guide was removed by an
accidental meeting in the street with the head jailor,
a good-natured Shan, whom Sladen induced to guide
us to Tsitkaw, promising to screen him from any
displeasure of the authorities. Although the dis-
tance is only twenty-one miles, the loss of time
caused by ferrying our party of one hundred men
over the Tapeng compelled us to halt at the
village of Tahmeylon, where we put up in a
small monastery. Early the next morning we
started, skirting the Tapeng through tall grass,
with occasional rice clearings. At the junction of
the Manloung river with the Tapeng, a number
of ruined pagodas marked the site of the second
town of Tsampenago, built at a much later date
than that near Bhamo.

By noon we reached Tsitkaw, and were received
\/ inside the low stockade by the Burmese officials and
a miserable guard armed with rusty flint muskets,
who garrison this as a customs station. We were
conducted to a small barn-like zayat, which had been
cleaned out for our use. Inquisitive natives speedily
sought to force their way in, and had to be kept at
bay by armed sentinels, though with caution. And
we were requested to have a guard under arms all
^ night, to protect our property against thieves, and
perhaps ourselves against tigers, which occasionally
overleap the stockade. In the morning, the Kakhj^en

TSITKAW. 61

tsawhwas, or chiefs, and paicminea, or headmen, of
Ponhne, Tahlone, Ponsee, and Seray, through whose
lands lay the route to Manwyne, appeared to take
charge of ourselves and baggage. As the Shan-
Burmese of Tsitkaw and other villages near the hills
keep on good terms with the highlanders, the chiefs
showed no timidity of the Burmese officials ; they
made themselves quite at home, and asked for
brandy ; under its genial influence a formal assent was
soon given to our passage through their territories.

The first process was to collect all our baggage, that
it might be passed in review, and divided into small
loads. Outside Tsitkaw, we had passed an enclosure
in which were about a hundred men, chiefly Shans,
with a few Kakhyens. These fellows had jeered at
us in passing, and it was by no means reassuring
to learn that this unmannerly mob consisted of the
mule owners, as restive and untractable as their
beasts. Each man owned from one to a dozen mules,
and looked after his own interests without regard
either to his employer s or the rest of the caravan.
The consequent shouting, disputing, and almost
fighting that ensued as each helped himself to the
packages that seemed desirable baffled description.
At last all the baggage was distributed in little
heaps, and each man marked off the number of
mules required on a primitive tally, formed from a
piece of bamboo, which he broke across into a
corresponding number of joints, and put up carefully
against the day of reckoning.

62 BHAM6.

The next morning witnessed another scene of con-
fusion and quarrelKng, as the panniers or pack-saddles
were brought in order to have the loads adjusted.
The packs are secured to cross-trees, which fit into
transverse pieces of wood, fixed in the saddles ; and
a band passed in front of the mule's shoulders keeps
all firm in its place. When the burdens had been
arranged, it appeared that there were more mules
than loads, and the disappointed proprietors furiously
disputed the possession of their lots with their more
fortunate competitors ; hands were repeatedly laid
on the hilt of the dah, but all ended in bluster, and
finally the loads were arranged. When all seemed
ready for the morrow's starting, the choung-oke,
or baihfF of the river, appeared on the scene, ac-
companied by several Kakhyens, and informed us
that March 1st, being the 9th of some Kakhyen
month, was an altogether ill-omened day to commence
any undertaking. This Burmese official further con-
fidentially informed Sladen that there was a quarrel
brewing between the muleteers and the chiefs,
which would break out before long; but he was
disconcerted by the prompt action of the leader,
who sent for the chiefs, and, assuring them of his
confidence, said that he would abide by their
arrangements for the transport. To this they
replied that we were their brothers, and that they
would be true to us for ever. The enforced delay
at this place enabled us to make a short excursion
to the Manloung lake, about one mile and a half

THE MANLOUNG LAKE. 63

distant, I went all round it in a small canoe,
wliicli held three people witli difficulty. The
western bank is high and wooded, but broken by
two channels, through which the Manloung stream
issues, uniting below a small island, on which stands
a Shan village of the same name. Besides this, there
is another island, and a village named Moungpoo.
The high bank is continued on the north, beyond the
lake, as a prominent ridge covered with tall trees,
extending in a bold sweep to the foot of the hills ;
it appeared evidently to be an old river bank, and
that the lake marks what was once the course
of the Tapeng. The Manloung stream falls into a
remarkable offshoot of the main river, which after-
wards rejoins the Tapeng by several channels. This
stream is deep and rapid, and supplies several irri-
gating water-wheels. The lake is two miles long and
a mile broad, and according to native accounts very
deep. To the east extended a succession of swamps,
hidden under a luxuriant growth of high grass ;
careful search discovered no springs or streams as
sources of supply, although doubtless the former
exist, as there is a constant outflowing of water.
It is probably also a reservoir, filled annually by
the overflow of the Tapeng, which during the rainy
season frequently floods the level plain to a depth of
two feet for some days at a time, the flood suddenly
rising and as suddenly subsiding.

Manloung contained about eighty houses, and
the women at this time were all busily engaged in

64 BHAMO.

weaving cloth from cotton procured from the
Kakhyens, who grow it on the hills. The village
boasted of a large and flourishing monastery, far
superior to any to be seen at Bhamo, and with a
large number of resident pupils. The dormitory
was exhibited with pride by the chief phoongyee ;
the beds were neatly arranged along one side of the
room, each possessing a nice clean mattress and
coverlet and superior mosquito curtains.

Thence we returned to Tsitkaw, where the filthy
disregard of decency exhibited by the drunken high-
land chiefs, which we were obliged to tolerate, made
our enforced sojourn still more insupportable ; and
an additional source of anxiety was furnished by the
information, imparted by Sala, that Moung Shuay
\/ Yah, our Chinese interpreter, was really in collusion
with the hostile Chinese.

Daylight on the 2nd of March saw us all on the
qui vive in expectation of an early start, but the
mule-men, at nine o'clock, had not eaten their rice,
and then came a demand for an advance of mule
hire ; a previous request for salt to be distributed to
the people of villages en route had been complied
with, but no sooner had the baskets containing it
been brought in front of the house than the men
helped themselves at discretion, and no more was
heard of it. An hour was now spent in the distribu-
tion of five hundred rupees, which were laid out on
a mat, while the eagerness with which the recipients
gathered round and handled the silver spoke volumes

A PHOONGYEE'S FAREWELL. 65

as to their greed for coin. One of the tsawbwas had
been seen eagerly watching Sladen's private cash chest,
and asked in the most pressing manner to be allowed
to take charge of it, while another dogged the foot-
steps of Captain Bowers' servant, endeavouring to
coax him into entrusting his master's fowling-piece
to his care.

During the morning the phoongyee of an adjoining
khyoung arrived to say farewell. He had been a
constant visitor, and the kind reception given him,
and the toleration of his curiosity, which showed
itself by wandering about and prying into everything,
had quite won his heart. He was far superior to
the usual run of Shan phoongyees, who, according , <^
to Burmese Buddhism, are lax and unorthodox in
practice and doctrine. He spent much of his time
in missionary visits to the ruder villages, whose
inhabitants he hoped to convert to conformity with
stricter religious rules. By way of a parting gift
he presented each of us with some sweet scented
powder and a few fragrant seeds or pellets, which he
declared to be a sovereign remedy for headache or
fever, " contracted by smelling culinary operations ! "
His advice to Sladen at parting was so shrewd and
characteristic as to deserve quoting. "We have met
before in a former existence, and it is by virtue of
meritorious acts there done that I am privileged to
meet you again in the present life, and advise you
for your welfare. Wisdom and pnidence are necessary
in all worldly undertakings ; use then special care

F

66 BHAM6.

and circumspection in your present expedition ; your
enemies are numerous and powerful. We shall all
hail the reopening of the overland trade with China.
The prosperity of the priesthood depends on the con-
dition of the country and the people ; what is good
for them is also good for religion."

DEPAETUEE FEOM TSITKAW. 67

CHAPTER III.

K A K li Y E N H I L h S.

Departure from Tsitkaw — Our cavalcade — The hills — A false alarm
— Talone — First night in the hills — The tsawhwa^gadaw —
Ponline village — A death dance — The divination — A meetway —
Nampoung gorge — A dangerous road — Lakong hivouac — Arrival
at Ponsee — A Kakhyen coquette.

Almost at the last moment before setting out,
while lists of the muleteers were being taken, in
order to ascertain their respective chiefs, so as to
know who should be held responsible, in case of
default or robbery, the tsawbwas of Ponsee and
Talone discovered that Sala, when at Bhamo, had
received a musket as a present. Their informant
was the treacherous Moung Shuay Yah, who in-
stigated them to stand on their dignity and demand
a similar gift. Compliance was impossible, so
they refused their services, and prowled about in
sneaking silence, ostentatioiisly taking lists of our-
selves and of our baggage. By two o'clock a start
was fairly effected, although our arrangements were
by no means as complete as they might have been ;
but as it was settled that we should only proceed as

F 2

68 KAKHYEN HILLS.

far as Ponline village, about twelve miles distant, it
was better to start than risk further delay. There
was something outrageously wild in the irregular
confusion of our exodus from Tsitkaw, which, though
perhaps orderly according to Kakhyen ideas, pre-
sented no trace of system to our uninformed minds.
The three Kakhyen chiefs led the way, followed
by the unwieldy cash-chest, borne by eight men,
and guarded by four sepoys ; then came the long
straggling caravan of a hundred and twenty mules,
travelling just as it suited the peculiarities of each
beast and its driver. Our police escort marched
steadily on, headed by the jemadar, at whose side
appeared his wife, looking like a true vivandiere, her
slim figure becomingly attired in a blue silk padded
jacket, and trousers tucked up to the knee, with a
red silk handkerchief for head-dress ; with a Burmese
dah and bag slung over her shoulders, and her shoes
tied behind her back, she was evidently prepared for
all dangers and fatigues.

We mounted our ponies and rode forward over
the level plain before us ; stretching north-east and
south-west, rose the long undulating outline of the
Kakhyen mountains, broken here and there by huge
domes or pointed peaks, rising to five and six
thousand feet. On our right flowed the Tapeng,
gradually calming its waters into a placid stream,
after having emerged as a foaming torrent from the
mountain barrier. At the village of Hentha the
route diverged from the river, and half a mile

A FALSE ALARM. 69

further we passed tlie long, straggling, but populous
village of Old Bhamo, embosomed in a dense grove
of bamboos and forest trees. Outside the village
stood a solitary and almost ruined pagoda, the ad-
vanced outpost, on this side the river, of Burmese
Buddhism, for none of these religious edifices are
found among the Kakhyen hills.

Four miles' ride through a succession of level
swampy patches of paddy clearings, and grassy fields
intersected by deep nullahs, brought us to the village
of Tsihet, on slightly undulating ground. At this
point the route turned almost at right angles, to
ascend the hills, and here the three tsawbwas were
seated in deep and excited consultation, apparently
waiting for us. "We had outstripped most of the con-
voy, and as Sladen rode up, Sala exclaimed, pointing
to the hill path, "All right, go on, and don't be
afraid." His words were less intelligible than those
of the Talone tsawbwa, who asked in an injured
tone, " When are you going to give me that
gun?

We ascended about five hundred feet, over a series
of rounded hills, distinct from the main range, but
connected with it by spurs, up the slope of one of
which we were slowly climbing, when a shot was heard
in front. Sladen, the superior powers of whose pony
had taken him ahead, waited until the others joined
him, and another shot and then four reports together
were heard, but no bullet whizzed near. A spear
was picked up in the path, which a Burmese syce

70 KAKHYEN HILLS.

alleged to have been thrown from the jungle
at the passing travellers ; but his evidence was
doubtful.

We all proceeded as if nothing had happened, but
our Kakhyens, some fifty of whom were ahead,
gathered round, flourishing their dahs and yelling
like fiends, to assure us of their determination to
protect us. A little further on we came upon two
Kakhyens of our party, standing in an open by the
roadside, one armed with a cross-bow and poisoned
arrows, and the other with a flint musket. By signs
they tried to convey to us that some evil-disposed
mountaineers had hidden themselves at this spot, and
had fired on them, but that on their returning the fire,
the enemy had " bolted" down the hillside. We had
our own opinion that the supposed attack was an
ingenious ruse to try our mettle, and that most of
the shots were fired by our half intoxicated muleteers,
who evinced no sort of fear or misgiving. One of
them, mounted on a mule, and armed with a long dah
and matchlock, proved himself more dangerous as a
friend than all the supposed enemies. He kept
rushing backwards and forwards on a path scarcely
wide enough in some places for a single pony ; now
he flourished his long sword in a reckless manner, and ■
then fired his matchlock over the head of Sladen, who
was in front, reloading and firing over his shoulder
with a rapidity wonderful in a man so drunk as to
be beyond reason. Judicious praises of his dexterity
and a promise to refill his powder-horn at the next

VILLAGE OF PONLINE. 71

village were necessary to prevent him from becoming
suddenly quarrelsome and dangerous.

From the summit of the spur fifteen hundred feet
high, we descended by a rough, slippery path, the
bed of a dried-up watercourse, to a level glen of rich
alluvial land, and thence climbed another spur to a
height of two thousand feet, whence a slight descent
brought us to a long ridge, on which were situated
the villages of Talone and Ponline. Approaching
the first-named, we were requested to dismount, as
Kakhyen etiquette does not admit of riding past a
village. We led our ponies through a grassy glade,
surrounded by high trees, and sacred to the nats.
At one side stood a row of bamboo posts, varying
in height from six to twenty feet, split at the top
into four pieces, supporting small shelves to serve as
altars for the offerings of cooked rice, fowls, and
sheroo, wherewith the demons are propitiated. Before
each altar were placed large bundles of grass, and a
few old men were kneeling, muttering a low chant.

Leaving Talone on an eminence to our left, we re-
mounted and descended a little distance through
deep ravines, in secondary spurs, and, after a short
ascent, traversed a tolerably level pathway, and
another short rise brought us to our halting-place,
the village of Ponline, lying two thousand three
hundred feet above the sea. The rocks exposed were
all metamorphic, consisting chiefly of a grey gneiss
or red granite, and a hornblendic mica schist, huge
rounded boulders of which latter were strewn on the

72 KAKHYEN HILLS.

hillsides. The hills were covered with a dense tree
forest, largely intermixed with bamboos. It was
already dusk when we arrived, but the moon shone
brightly, and a pawmine conducted us to a house,
swept and made ready for us. Like all Kakhyen
houses, it was an oblong bamboo structure, with
closely matted sides, raised on piles three feet from
the ground. The roof thatched with grass sloped to
within four feet from the ground ; the eaves, propped
by bamboo posts, formed a portico, used as a stable at
night for ponies, pigs, and fowls, and as a general
lounge by day. Notched logs served as stairs to
ascend to the doorway in the gable end. On one side
of the interior was a common hall, running the whole
length of the building. On the other was a series of
small rooms, divided from each other by bamboo
partitions; a second doorway or opening at the
further end was, as we afterwards learned, reserved
for the use of members of the family, or household,
none others being allowed to enter thereby, on pain
of offence to the household nats. Chimneys and
windows there were none, and the walls and roofs
were blackened with smoke. In the common hall and
in each room there was an open hearth sunk a little
below the flooring, the closely laid bamboo work
being covered with a layer of hard-pressed earth.

Only a portion of the baggage mules had arrived,
and the bedding of several members of the party
was among the missing property. Rumours were
also afloat that robbers had succeeded in driving off

FIEST NIGHT IN THE HILLS. 73

eight mules, if not more, and altogether the first
night in Kakhyen land seemed to some of the party
inauspicious ; but we made the best of it, and, having
taken possession of our strange quarters, were pre-
sently joined by Williams, who had been detained
taking the altitudes. He contributed the news that
after leaving Talone a shot had been fired at Sala,
who was in front of him. "We strolled out in the
pleasant night air, and admired an animated group
of fair Kakhyens, busily pounding rice by moonlight.
The paddy was placed in a rude mortar, or rather
a cavity hollowed out in a log, and two girls stood
opposite each other wielding heavy poles, four feet
long. These were plied alternately, the heavy dull
thud of the pestle forming a bass to the treble of a
low musical cry, emitted at each stroke by the fair
operators, while their bell girdles tinkled a pleasant
accompaniment. These girdles marked their rank,
only the daughters of chiefs being allowed to wear
these musical ornaments.

An old woman beckoned Sladen to follow her, and
conducted him to a house, which proved to be that of
Sala, who received him most hospitably, making him
share his carpet, while his guide, the tsawbwa's wife,
and her family brought successive relays of bamboo
buckets, filled with sheroo, or Kakhyen beer.

At last, having divided what bedding there was,
we settled ourselves to sleep, leaving it for the
morrow to confirm or dissipate the fears excited by
the non-arrival of guard, cash-chest, and baggage.

74 KAEHYEN HILLS.

Our slumbers were, however, disturbed by loud
sbouts, repeated frora height to height, which seemed
to be the "All's well!" of native guards, posted
round the village to watch over our safety.

In the morning a large capon and a supply of
beer arrived, as a present from the chieftainess, and
later on she herself with her daughters and retinue
came in state. She was a short matronly-looking
woman, with an intelligent expression of countenance
and good features, but for her high cheek-bones and
slightly Chinese eyes. Her costume was of course
the perfection of highland full dress, and, though
singular, by no means unbecoming. The headdress
was the most striking part of it, consisting of blue
cloth, wound round and round in a 'sort of turban, so
as to form an inverted cone, towering at least
eighteen inches above her head. Her upper garment
was a sleeveless black velvet jacket, ornamented with
a row of large embossed silver buttons running
round the neck and continued down the front ;
besides these, circular plates of chased and enamelled
silver, three inches in diameter, arranged in rows
down the front and back seams and around the skirt,
made the garment almost resemble a cuirass. The
dress was completed by a single kilt-like petticoat,
composed of a dark blue cotton cloth, with a broad
red woollen border, wound round the hips, and reach-
ing a little below the knee. One end was tastefully
worked with deep silken embroidery, and carefully
disposed, so as to hang gracefully on one side. A

^

'■"Of- V . t5i r >'-i-

^.

KAKHYEN WOMEN.

To face page 74.

THE TSAWBWA-GADAW. 75

profusion of fine ratan girdles round the waist sup-
ported tlie kilt and filled up the void between it and
the jacket ; and, by way of stockings, a close-fitting
series of black ratan rings encircled her legs below
the knee. Her rank was marked by two large silver
hoops round her neck, and a necklace of short
cylinders of some red clayey material, intermixed with
amber and ivory beads. These cumbrous ornaments
are permitted only to the wives and daughters of
tsawbwas and pawmines. Two silver bracelets on
each arm, and long silver tubes worn in the lobes
of the ears, completed her splendour. Her little
daughters, besides the distinctive girdles of black
beads, and silver bells, each containing a small free
pellet, which tinkled pleasantly to every motion
of the wearer, wore broad waist-belts ornamented
with several rows of cowrie shells. Our visitor
brought us goose eggs and sheroo, and apologised
for not having more to offer, but promised to send
us every day something to eat. Her goodwill was
rewarded by presents of silk handkerchiefs and red
cloth, and a gorgeous table-cloth, the splendour
of which and her joy, when Sladen presented it to
her, left her perfectly speechless.

During the day the missing mules and baggage
began to arrive, the drivers having camped for the
night at various places in the neighbourhood, and
early in the afternoon the guard marched in, but
without the cash-chest. The jemadar reported that
he had remained in charge of it at Talone, where he

76 KAKHYEN HILLS.

had been obliged to leave it, together with the miss-
ing eight mules and their loads. The tsawbwa, who
with his people and the Chinese interpreter, Moung
Shuay Yah, had spent the night in drinking, refused
to let either cash-chest or baggage proceed. The
guard had been unable to obtain any food till before
starting this morning, and one of the sepoys who
had rashly indulged in excessive draughts of water
had been seized with sickness, and died in two hours.
On the receipt of this news of the unaccountable
conduct of the Talone chief and Moung Shuay Yah,
Sala despatched his own son with positive orders for
the instant release of the porters and drivers, and
pending their arrival, we sallied forth to view the
village and its surroundings. The houses were
situated at short distances from each other in a deep
hollow, thickly wooded with magnificent oaks and
a few palms (Corypha), and very fine screw-pines,
or pandani, one fallen stem of the former being fully
sixty feet in length. Immediately over the village
towered a bold rounded summit of the main range
two thousand feet above us, halfway up the side of
which a large conical Khakyen grave formed a
prominent object ; in shape it so strongly resembled a
Burmese pagoda as to suggest an imitation. In the
village very fine plantains were cultivated, and the
sides of the spurs below were extensively cleared for
rice and other crops. Prom the ground behind the
tsawbwa's house, we obtained a splendid view of the
lofty hills on the southern side of the Tapeng valley,

A DEATH DANCE. 77

many of which appeared to rise to a height of six
thousand feet above the river, cultivated and dotted
with villages almost to the very summits.

In the course of our ramble we were attracted to
one house by the sound of drumming ; outside the
portico, some men were sitting cooking chickens,
which had been merely stripped of their feathers,
but not otherwise cleaned. Having asked and
obtained permission, we entered the common hall,
round which men, women, and children were dancing,
each carrying a small stick, with which they beat
time, as they circled round with measured steps,
curiously combining a prance and a side shufSe.
The instrumentahsts were a man and a girl, who
vigorously beat a pair of drums, while ever and anon
the dancers burst out into loud yells, and quickened
the speed of their evolutions. We at first sat
gravely on the logs, brought by a smiling girl, but
were presently invited by signs to take our places
in the dance; accordingly we stood up and went
round, but had scarcely taken two turns when the
whole party rushed, yelling loudly, out of the
house, the leader flourishing his stick wildly, as
though clearing the way. Much puzzled, we re-
turned into the house, and found the corpse of a
child, laid in a corner carefully screened off, and the
poor mother wailing bitterly by its side. The
festivity turned out to be the death-dance, to drive
away the departed spirit from hovering near its
late tenement, and our exertions were believed to

78 KAKHYEN HILLS.

have mainly contributed to the speedy and happy
result ; so at least we were made to understand by
our hosts, who hastened to refresh us with sheroo,
served in cups ingeniously improvised out of plan-
tain leaves. We paid our footing in silver, and
departed with a feeling that even the entente cordiale
we desired to establish with the Kakhyens hardly
demanded an active participation in death-dances.

The next day Sala's son arrived with the cash-
chest and the missing mules from Talone ; but the
boxes had been opened, Sladen and Bowers had each
lost a canteen, well stocked with knives and forks,
and the mule-men had further helped themselves to
all eatables. They had, however, shown a laudable
consideration, for in one of Stewart's cases was a
bottle of port wine, which they had opened by
pushing in the cork ; not relishing the contents, they
had carefully cut and fixed in a wooden stopper to
prevent waste !

Sladen assembled Sala and the other chiefs, and
distributed salt, cloth, and some yellow silk hand-
kerchiefs, which were highly prized. Sala delivered
a pubhc exhortation, enjoining fidelity on all; in
private he communicated the necessity of propitiating
the nats, and requested our attendance at a ceremony
which was to take place that night, for the purpose
of ascertaining the will of the demons, by the
medium of a meetway, or diviner.

Accordingly after dinner we all adjourned to the
hall of the tsawbwa's new house, and, reclining on

THE DIVINATION. 79

mats brought by bis wife, chatted for some time with
the chiefs and headmen assembled round the fire.

The meetway now entered, and seated himself on
a small stool, in one corner, which had been freshly
sprinkled with water ; he then blew through a small
tube, and, throwing it from him with a deep groan,
at once fell into an extraordinary state of tremor,
every limb quivered, and his feet beat a literal
" devil's tattoo " on the baniboo flooring. He groaned
as if in pain, tore his hair, passed his hands with
maniacal gestures over his head and face, then broke
into a short wild chant interrupted with sighs and
groans, his features appearing distorted with madness
or rage, while the tones of his voice changed to an ex-
pression of anger and fury. During this extraordinary
scene, which realised all one had read of demoniacal
possession, the tsawbwa and his pawmines occasion-
ally addressed him in low tones, as if soothing him
or deprecating the anger of the dominant spirit ; and
at last the tsawbwa informed Sladen that the nats
must be appeased with an offering. Fifteen rupees
and some cloth were produced. The silver, on a
bamboo sprinkled with water, and the cloth, on a
platter of plantain leaves, were humbly laid at the
diviner's feet ; but with one convulsive jerk of the
legs, rupees and cloth were instantly kicked away,
and the medium by increased convulsions and groans
intimated the dissatisfaction of the nats with the
offering. The tsawbwa in vain supplicated for its
acceptance, and then signified to Sladen that more

80 KAKHTEN HILLS.

rupees -were required, and that the nats mentioned
sixty as the propitiatory sum. Sladen tendered five
more with an assurance that no more would be
given. The amended offering was again, but more
gently, pushed away, of which no notice was taken.
After another quarter of an hour, during which
the convulsions and groans gradually grew less
violent, a dried leaf roUed into a cone, and filled
with rice, was handed to the meetway. He raised
it to his forehead several times, and then threw it
on the floor; a dah, which had been carefully
washed, was next handed to him and treated the
same way, and after a few gentle sighs he rose from
his seat, and, laughing, signed us to look at his
legs and arms, which were very tired. The oracle
was in our favour, and predictions of all manner
of success were interpreted to us as the utterances of
the inspired diviner.

It must not be supposed that this was a solemn
farce, enacted to conjure rupees out of European
pockets ; the Kakhyens never undertake any business
or journey without consulting the will of the nats
as revealed by a meetway, under the influence of
temporary frenzy, or, as they deem it, possession.
The seer in ordinary life is nothing ; the medium on
whose word hung the possibility of our advance was
a cooly, who carried one of our boxes on the march,
but he was a duly qualified meetway, belonging to
Ponsee village. When a youth shows signs of what
spiritualists would call a " rapport " or connection

A MEETWAY. 81

witli the spirit world, he has to undergo a suffi-
ciently trying ordeal to test the reality of his powers.
A ladder is prepared, the steps of which consist of
sword blades, with the sharp edges turned upwards,
and this is reared against a platform thickly set with
sharp spikes. The barefooted novice ascends this
perilous path to fame, and seats himself on the spikes
without any apparent inconvenience ; he then descends
by the same ladder, and if, after having been care-
fully examined, he is pronounced free from any trace of
injury, he is thenceforward accepted as a true diviner.
Sala improved the occasion by warning Sladen that
a powerful combination had been formed to oppose
our advance, and that many evil reports had been
circulated, but concluded by saying that a liberal
expenditure of silver would remove many, if not all,
obstacles. The practical application of this was made
next morning. When all was ready for a start, the
tsawbwa would not appear : Sladen paid him a visit,
and was informed that six hundred rupees must be
paid nominally as an advance for the mule-men, or
else he had better go back. This extortionate
demand was reduced after some debate to three
hundred, which were paid, and then an additional
sum of three hundred rupees was demanded for the
carriage of the troublesome and tempting cash-chest.
An offer of one rupee per diem each. to twenty
bearers was refused, and we then decided to divide
the cash into parcels of three hundred rupees to be
carried by the men of the escort. By this means

G

82 KAKHYEN HILLS.

the liability to continual " squeezes " on the part of
the chiefs, or robbery by the porters, was avoided.
At length we set out from Ponline, and, after pro-
ceeding a mile over an easy road along the high
ground, commenced the descent to the gorge, down
which, fifteen hundred feet below, the Nampoung
flowed into the Tapeng, dividing the hills into two
parallel ridges. The descent, at first easy, gradually
became steeper, and at length precipitous ; the path
was cut into zigzags, but as slightly deviating from
the straight line as the steepness of the declivity
allowed. The weathered and disintegrated surface
of metamorphic rock had been worn down by trafiic
and torrents, so that it often was a deep V shaped
groove with but nine or ten inches of footway, and
the loaded mules found it difficult to round the
abrupt turns in these deep cuttings ; huge boulders,
stones, and sharp-pointed masses of exposed quartz,
made the travelling still more hurtful and dangerous
to man and beast. The .beds of the streams were
filled with fine granite, and in the largest water-
course crossed, a small section was observed, showing
a mass of greyish micaceous schist, with large veins
of quartz ; it was tilted up vertically, and there were
distinct indications of bedding in a nearly north and
south direction. The Nampoung, whose source lies
among the hills to the north-east, is the limit between
the districts of Ponline and Ponsee, and was formerly,
and must be considered still, the boundary between
Burma and the Chinese province of Yunnan, the

A DANGEROUS ROAD. 83

ruined frontier fort being pointed out on a height
commanding the ford. We forded the Nampoung
on our ponies, where the stream was a hundred feet
wide, and three feet deep. The beasts could scarcely
stem the rapid current, which in the event of a fall
would have soon swept horse and rider into the
foaming Tapeng. The road wound up the face of
a precipice, below which the Tapeng rushed down
a succession of rapids, with a deafening roar, and
a force which nothing could resist, save the pro-
digious masses of granite which encumbered its bed,
while others leaned from the banks as if ready to
topple into the raging torrent.

The occasional glimpses of the distant landscape
were glorious ; on either hand hills towered up into
mountains, and range succeeded range, till lost in
the blue distance. Our enjoyment of the grandeur
of the mountain scenery was, however, somewhat
marred by ' the difficulty of the path, which com-
pelled us frequently to dismount, and let the goat-
like ponies scramble as best they could up the deep
narrow cuttings. The road contoured the hillside,
cut into the face of the rock for some ten feet, pre-
senting every now and again turnings at a sharp
angle. On the verge of a precipice of one thousand
feet deep, the outer edge gave way under the hind
hoofs of Williams' pony, and he was only saved from
destruction by the pony recovering itself with a
vigorous effort. Kakhyen roads seem to be purposely
designed with a view to reaching the highest points

G 2

84 KAKHYEN HILLS.

on the given route, and after leaving the river
banks, we thus ascended and descended over a suc-
cession of lofty spurs abutting on the river from the
main range ; precipitous ridges, connecting them at
right angles, presented tolerably level ground, but
with a surface so confined that the traveller looked
down into the deep gorges on both sides. Patches
of rich loamy soil in the valleys, and on the slopes of
the spurs, were cleared for paddy, and in each clear-
ing a small thatched hut raised on poles served as a
watch-toT^er. Near some of the villages perched on
heights, limited efforts at terrace cultivation were
visible, and in one place a small stream had been
diverted for irrigation. Magnificent screw pines
and large tree ferns displayed their exquisite foliage,
relieved by the blossoms of various flowering trees.

By two o'clock the baggage mules were so jaded
that, although we had not made more than eight or
ten miles, it became necessary to halt in the jungle.
Behind our bivouac towered an enormous shoulder
of the mountains, rising four thousand feet above us,
and called Lakong. The air was genial and tempe-
rate, the thermometer marking sixty-three at 9 p.m.,
and, with our lamps strung up on bamboos, our
followers and servants surrounding the bivouac, we
dined and slept comfortably and securely al fresco,
while the drivers picketed their mules above and
below. Close to our camp were some old Kakhyen
burial-places on a rounded hill. Each consisted of
a circular trench, thirty-eight feet in diameter, and

AEEIVAL AT PONSEE. 85

about two feet deep, surrounding a low mound, con-
taining only one body. The high conical thatched
roof which covered newer graves, elsewhere observed,
had disappeared, but some of the bamboo supports
were still standing. The trenches of some other
graves were built round with slabs of stone, the form
of the grave and manner of interment reminding
one involuntarily of the megalithic burial structures.
Before resuming our march to Ponsee, Sala inti-
mated that caution would be required, as the Ponsee
tsawbwa was very indignant at not having received
the desired musket. The nats also had signified
through the meetway that before starting the guard
should fire a volley, and the tsawbwa added a re-
commendation to use double charges of powder, so
that the nats might be doubly pleased. The road
lay along tolerably easy ground, as we were now
almost on a level with the origin of the main spurs,
and by noon of March 6th we had reached the
village of Ponsee, three thousand one hundred and
eighty-seven feet above the sea-level, and forty-three
miles from Bhamo. As the tsawbwa did not appear,
and had made no preparation to house our party, the
camp was pitched under a clump of bamboos, in a
hollow below the village. Ponsee, with its twenty
scattered houses, and terraced slopes of cultivated
ground, occupied one side of a mountain clothed to
its summit, two thousand feet above, with dense
jungle and forest, save where clearings betokened
the vicinity of other villages far above us.

86 KAKHYEN HILLS.

Our muleteers dispersed themselves and their
mules on the upper terrace of a tumulus-shaped knoll
overlooking the road, and cultivated on one side in a
succession of regular and equidistant terraces. In
the afteruoon we were visited by a pawmine, accom-
panied by his wife and several female relatives, who
brought presents of sheroo and vegetables. One of
the young ladies was inclined to be merry and com-
municative, in order to attract attention and secure
a present of beads. Although she was a wife, her
hair was cut straight across her forehead, and hung
down behind in dishevelled locks, uncovered by the
headdress which Kakhyen wives wear. An oiFer of
a puggery to supply the defect was received with
a peal of laughter, at which the pawmine seemed
startled and scandalised, and he reproved his fair
cousin in a way that caused her to shrink into
abashed silence. During the evening the dangerous
temper of the Kakhyen was shown by an unprovoked
attack made by one of the Ponsee tsawbwa's followers
upon a Burmese servant, but Sala promptly inter-
fered to protect our man, and declared that he would
resent an insult oifered to any of our people as if
offered to himself. Thus, as in other matters, he so
far showed himself honest, though his constant
demands for money began to make the leader think
his friendship might be too dearly purchased.

FIRST NIGHT AT POJSSEE. 87

CHAPTEE IV.

PONSEE CAMP.

Desertion of the muleteers — Our encampment — Visit of hill chiefs —
Sala's demands — A mountain excursion — Messengers from Momien

— Shans refuse presents — Stoppage of supplies — Ill-feeling —
Tsawbwa of Seray — St. Patrick's Day — Eetreat of Sala — The paw-
mines of Ponsee — A burial-ground — Visit to the Tapeng — The
silver mines — Approach of the rains — Hostility of Ponsee —
Threatened attack — Reconciliation — A false start — Letters from
Momien — A hailstorm — Circular to the members of the mission

— Beads and belles — Friendly relations with Kakhyens — Their
importance.

On the first night of our sojourn at Ponsee, we
were roused from oxir beds in the open air by a
violent thunderstorm, which threatened a drenching,
but fortunately let us off with only a few heavy
drops. One of the party drew his bed under a small
thatched shed close by, and slept soundly, to awake
in the morning and find that he had shared his
shelter with a deceased Kakhyen, on whose grave
he had been reposing. At an early hour, Sala
came to inform Sladen that a small army of Shans
and Kakhyens had collected to oppose our progress,
but that two thousand rupees might purchase their
goodwill, when informed that the disposable funds

P0N8EE CAMP.

would not admit of such costly travelling, he signi-
ficantly remarked that the Panthays were rich, and
would be glad to assist us. This obstacle might be
imaginary, but a most real difficiilty left us no time
to reflect on it, for instead of preparing for a start,
the muleteers, without a word of complaint, or indeed
any communication with us, proceeded to unpack
their loads, flinging all the baggage on the ground.
I went to look after my boxes, but was warned off
by a Kakhyen, who flourished his dah, and worked
himself up into such a fury that retreat appeared
the wisest course. In a short time the mules and
drivers marched away, taking the road to Manwyne,
leaving us and our baggage destitute of any means
of transit. A few beasts remained, belonging to
Ponline, but too few to be taken into account. Here
was an unexpected dilemma, such as would have
delighted Sir Samuel Baker, who says he " finds
pleasure in a downright fix." Sladen set off to find
out, if possible, the meaning of it all from Sala, who
was seated comfortably drunk in the chiefs house.
/He declared that the muleteers had been influenced
I by messages from the Shan tsawbwas of Sanda and
Muangla, threatening them with death if they brought
^ us on. He advised threats of exclusion of the Shans
from the Burmese fairs by way of reprisals, but
Sladen indignantly told him that he came to promote
peace, and not dissension, and that he would write
conciliatory letters, explaining the object of the ex-
pedition to those chiefs who had been misled. There-

DESERTION OF THE MULETEEES. 89

upon Sala grew confidential, and let out what
certainly seemed tlie truth, in vino Veritas, about
our missing interpreter Moung Shuay Yah, who had
been last seen or heard of at Ponline. It appeared
that this half Chinese scoundrel had finally en-
deavoured to persuade Sala, and on his refusal the
Talone tsawbwa, to murder Sladen and plunder the
cash-chest. Thwarted in his villainous projects, he
had returned to Bhamo, of which latter fact • confir-
mation was afforded a few days later. Matters looked
unpromising ; it was whispered that the muleteers had
become aware that our detention at Ponsee was
certain, and were unwilling to hazard a delay, the
profits of which would go into the greedy pockets of
the Ponline chief. Besides the dark aspect of affairs,
the natural atmosphere was overcast, heavy clouds
presaging storm, and to be prepared against all con-
sequences, we removed our quarters to the plateau
vacated by the muleteers, where the three sepoy
palls, or small tents, accommodated the Europeans,
while the sepoys and followers set to work to con-
struct bamboo tents, thatched with leaves and grass
for their protection, and speedily a regular camp was
established in a favourable position. Sala showed
himself in a new light, later on in the day, when he
came down very drunk, and dressed in a yellow silk
cloth which he had stolen from Sladen's servant.
He was at first inconveniently affectionate, and,
seizing Sladen by both hands, vowed eternal friend-
ship ; he then grew inquisitive about our rifles and

90 PONSEE CAMP.

revolvers, and required Sladen to show his marks-
manship hj splitting a bamboo forty yards off. A
refusal to gratify him changed him at once into a
violent savage, pouring out a flood of the foulest abuse
in Burmese. With tact and patience, he was re-
strained from violence, but the real treacherous nature
of the animal had shown itself unmistakably. He
finally assured Sladen that he might make up his mind
not to quit Ponsee until he had paid two bushels of
rupees. More agreeable visitors arrived, in the persons
of the Kakhyen chiefs of Nyoungen, Wacheoon, and
Ponwah, small hill districts on the road to Manwyne.
These tsawbwas all brought presents of fowls and
rice, for which they received cloth as a return. The
chief of Ponwah was a wiry little highlander, with
oblique eyes, and strongly marked features of a
Tartar type, adorned with two scanty tufts by way
of moustache, and a sparse beard carefully restricted
to the front of his chin. His dress was different from
that of the other tsawbwas, and argued a higher
social condition. It consisted of a blue turban, blue
padded woollen jacket, a kilt of the same material
and colour, with a red and blue border, finished off
with richly embroidered leggings, and short blue
woollen hose with thick soles. A leopard's fang
adorned his dah, and a cloth bag contained his metal
pipe and bamboo flask of samshu, which frequently
found its way to his thirsty lips ; before each draught
he dipped his finger into the liquor, and poured a few
drops on the ground as a libation to the earth nats.

VISIT OF HILL CHIEFS. 91

The mother of the young Ponsee tsawbwa also came
down, attended by a number of girls, bringing
sheroo, or beer, cooked rice, eggs, and vegetables.
Beads were distributed, but they begged for rupees ;
and a few four-anna pieces hardly contented them.
One of us gallantly presented an importunate
damsel with a pretty littk bottle of perfume, and
to make her appreciate it, poured a little on her
hand, and signed to her to rub it on her face, but
having done so, she evinced her disgust by wry
faces, spitting at and abusing the donor, as though
he had insulted her, to his extreme confusion.

The day of anxiety was followed by a night of rain
and storm. Heavy gusts of wind, sweeping down the
lofty shoulder of the mountain, threatened to carry
away the light tents, and it required all our efforts to
prevent this catastrophe by holding stoutly on to the
tent poles. The interior was of course inundated,
and beds and bedding saturated with water, but some
of the followers were worse off, having no shelter of
any sort. Our troubles, however, were only begin-
ning. The Nanlyaw tamone,* who had been ordered
to accompany us as interpreter, and had failed to do
so, arrived with orders from the Woon of Bhamo to
the tsawbwas of Ponsee and Ponline to repair at
once to Bhamo, and assist in an inquiry about reopen-
ing the silver mines. The message and the messenger
were both suspicious, and some obstructive influence
speedily showed itself. A demand was set up for three
* Tamone, a Burmese licadmau of a village.

92 PONSEE CAMP.

hundred rupees, compensation for five houses said to
have been destroyed by a jungle fire, originating in
the embers of our camp-fire at Lakong. Sala evidently
thought that any demands would be complied with
to prevent his deserting us, and talked much about the
imperative orders of the governor. By way of relief
from the discussion, we made an excursion up the
mountain to a height about six hundred feet above
our camp, whence a splendid panorama unrolled
itself of the Burmese plain as far as Bhamo, and the
junction of the Tapeng with the majestic Irawady.
We passed numerous oaks, and a grove of trees
bearing nuts exactly like our own hazels. At the
highest point reached, a Kakhyen village was found,
snugly nestled in a beautifully cool hollow, with a
small stream flowing down the hillside.

Our appearance startled three women, proceeding
to fill the bamboos, which serve as water pitchers,
carried in a wicker basket at the back ; they darted
into a hollow below the road, and, turning their
backs to us, waited till we had passed by. A
thousand feet below us, a deep ravine resounded with
the cry of hoolock monkeys, howling at the full
pitch of their voices. Shooting, either for sport or
purposes of science, was rendered extremely difficult
by the dense jungle and the steep sides of the deep
gorges, where the birds are mostly found, for a bird,
when shot, dropped down a steep declivity, into long
grass or tangled shrub, where search was useless.

On our return, a cock and hen partridge, of a new

SALA'S DEMANDS. 93

species, bel6nging to the genus Bambusicola, were
shot in the cleared ground, and in the woods the cry
of an oriole was often heard, but the birds were
invisible. Descending by another route, passing the
rice clearings, where wild strawberries carpeted the
ground with flowers and fruit, and two sorts of
violets and various brambles were also in flower,
we reached the camp, and were soon plunged again
into debate with Sala. The fellow was sulky and
angry, demanding six hundred rupees blackmail, and
three hundred as compensation for the village fire,
threatening as an alternative to leave us to " be lost
in the hills and never more heard of." Sladen
temperately refused to submit to such extortionate
demands, but, to prove his friendly intentions, offered
to compensate for any actual damage, and to send
presents to the chiefs en route. His arguments had
such an effect on Sala that he was content to ask
for one hundred rupees to settle the " fire."

At this stage of the interview all were surprised
by the sudden appearance on the scene of three
strangers, dressed in gorgeous Chinese costume, and
attended by half a dozen others ; two of their faces
were familiar, and they saluted Sladen with an air
of recognition, but Sala and he were at first equally
puzzled as to their identity. The two foremost were
arrayed in blue satin skull caps embroidered with
gold, padded and embroidered jackets of fine blue
cloth, and wide trousers of yellow silk. They wore
new broad cane hats and gold embroidered Chinese

94 PONSE.E CAMP.

/

shoes. The hilts of their dahs were each enriched with
half the lower jaw of a leopard, and suspended from
their button-holes was a decoration consisting of a
pink and blue square of cloth, with a cipher em-
broidered in the corner. This was full dress Panthay
uniform, which one of them proceeded to divest
himself of, and exhibited his ragged Kakhyen garb
underneath, and then Sladen recognised Lawloo, the
scout despatched by him from Bhamo to the governor
of Momien. He produced, carefully rolled up, a
packet addressed in Arabic on a strip of red paper,
which contained an envelope stamped with Chinese
hieroglyphics in red, and a letter written in Arabic,
and stamped with Chinese devices in red and blue ;
attached to this was another letter in Chinese. The
latter no one could read, and a combined attempt
made by the native doctor and the jemadar to
decipher the former also failed, but Lawloo assured
us that the governor of Momien was most friendly.
He had received the messengers with all respect,
and had equipped them in the gorgeous dresses
which had disguised them from our recognition.
He had also sent with them Shatoodoo, an officer
in the Mahommedan service, a tall, fair-skinned,
well-built man, dressed in blue uniform, with a fine
intelligent face and the quiet self-possession of a
well-bred gentleman. Our couriers, men belong-
ing to the Cowlie tribe, bore their new honours
with great composure ; they completely ignored the
presence of the Ponline tswabwa, while they told of

~ MESSENGERS FEOM MOMIEN. 95

X

their kindly reception, and explained the purport
of the letters. LThe governor had expected us by the
" ambassadors' " route, which leads from Bhamo
into Hotha, where he had arranged to meet us.
They said we were not to advance at present via
Manwytie, unless we were strong enough to fight
our way past^Jtlawphoo fort, the stronghold of
Li-sieh-tai. i The messengers, on their return, though
conspicuous by their Panthay uniform, had travelled
openly and unmolested through the Shan states,
which had been declared to be hostile to our advance.
The immediate effect was to cause Sala and the paw-
mines to withdraw from our tents, which was a
great relief, as they had infested them, squatting on
the beds for hours together, smoking, and chewing
tobacco and betel, while any remonstrance was at
once replied to with an angry scowl and a flourish
of the naked dah. But the peace did not last long.
The tsawbwa soon recommenced his demands, and
day after day the fire question was discussed, and
terms of settlement agreed upon, only to be insolently
repudiated on the first occasion.

The next day more practical preparations for
opening the route were made by the despatch of
letters and presents to the Kakhyen chief of Seray,
and to the Shan chiefs or headmen of Manwyne
and Manhleo. Two of the Ponline pawmines and
the interpreter Moung Mo, the tamone of Hentha
village, whose services and goodwill we had secured,
went in charge of the presents, and Sladen's Burmese

96 PONSEE CAMP.

writer was _ also sent, by way of check on the
pawmines. j__They returned in a few days with the
presents, which the chiefs had declined to accept,
as the tsawbwa of Sanda had refused his consent
to our passage, and the Manwyne people, though
favourably disposed, were afraid of the poogain, or
headman, of Manhleo, a town situated on the south
bank of the Tapeng, opposite Manwyne. I This
official was an inveterate enemy of the Panthays,
and a few years before had massacred a Panthay
caravan of peaceful merchants. The character and
intentions of the expedition had been so misrepre-
sented by the Chinese traders at Bhamo that the
Shans were naturally indisposed to run any risks
from our presence among them.

The refusal of the presents caused Sala to raise
his demands ; " all the people, Burmese, Chinese, and
Shans," he declared, were leagued against us, and if
we did not secure his protection, we should have our
heads cut off. This was his usual argument, illus-
trated by holding an imaginary head with his left
hand, and making the motion of sawing at the
supposed neck with his right.

A more practical result of the secret opposition
was the stoppage of supplies. Soon after our arrival
the Shans from the Manwyne district had discovered
that there was a sure market for their provisions,
and a regular bazaar had been established in our
lines. Kakhyen villagers as well as Shans broughl,
in fowls, rice, salt, vegetables, &c., and competition

ILL-FEELING. 97

had kept prices down ; empty beer bottles were
found to be highly prized, and one bottle was worth
twelve measures of rice. Among other things, the
Manwyne Shans brought in sugar candy, and
preserved milk in the form of thin cakes of paste
like a film of coagulated cream, which placed in a cup
of water over night supplied a cup of excellent milk
in the morning. The method of preparation we
could not learn, but the result was undeniably
successful. The attendance of Shans, however, fell
off, owing to the ill-usage received by many of them
from the Kakhyens, who helped themselves to their
goods, and paid them with abuse and blows. Hence
supplies fell short, and prices rose accordingly, and
it became unsafe moreover to wander for any
distance from the camp. On one occasion one of us
was tempted to indulge in a bath in the small stream
which flowed immediately below. There was a
most perfect douche, where the water leapt over a
huge boulder, embowered in gigantic bamboos and
splendid ferns, as though contrived for the secret
bath of a Kakhyen sylvan nymph : but the unhappy
European invader was scarcely in full enjoyment
of the refreshing douche than he was saluted
with a shower of stones and broken branches
from some villagers who had watched him. This
was a ludicrous side of popular hostility, but as
the "fire" question continued to be discussed, al-
most daily warnings were brought to us that
ill-disposed Kakhyens were collected on the heights

H

98 PONSEE CAMP.

above, intending to attack the camp under cover of
night.

A slight change in aifairs was effected by the
arrival of the tsawbwa of Seray, a village four miles
distant, who made his appearance on the 13th, at-
tended by his pawmines and a numerous retinue.
He was a rather short stout man of about forty-five,
dressed in blue from turban to shoes ; his manner
was serious and respectful, and his remarks sensible,
but evincing great curiosity about all the novelties
that presented themselves. When he found leisure to
discuss business matters, he asked us the particulars
of the fire question, saying that if it were settled,
he would undertake to guide us by a hill route to
Momien, so as to avoid the necessity of passing
through Sanda. Sladen explained to him that
though the fire question had been settled three times,
he would now submit it finally to his arbitration, and
the demand, which had risen to five hundred rupees,
was by his award satisfied by a promise of two
hundred and sixty. Notwithstanding this settle-
ment, that evening both the tsawbwas came down
to request us to keep fires burning, and maintain a
careful watch all night, as over a hundred men had
collected on the hillside commanding the camp,
intending to try their chance in a night attack,
according to their usual tactics. Sala had en-
deavoured, he said, to dissuade them, and had
finally told them he would look on while they were
shot down by our men. The night, however,

ST. PATRICK'S DAY. 99

passed off more quietly than the days, which were
occupied in ceaseless discussions ; the question of
mule hire being again in debate. Sala brought
forward the preposterous demand of twenty rupees
a piece for one hundred and sixty mules, those,
namely, whose owners had deserted at this place.
This demand was supported by fictitious tallies,
and his disgust at finding we had kept an accurate
account was great, while his fury at the laughter
with which his attempts at extortion were met found
vent in the usual pantomimic prophecy of our decapi-
tation. The party of tsawbwas was increased by the
arrival of the chief of Wacheoon, who brought a
present of rice and sheroo ; the object of his visit
being to make the pertinent inquiry as to what still
detained us at Ponsee.

On St. Patrick's Day, matters came to a crisis.
All the morning the tsawbwas and pawmines were
assembled in our tent, arguing about the mule hire ; ,
even the respectable chief of Seray had caught the in- '
fection of covetousness, and demanded twenty rupees
a mule for a journey of a few hours. The Seray y-J'
chief was attended by a Chinaman who had been in
his employment from his youth, and now acted as
his chief trader. He had interpreted the Momien
letters, and seemed to desire to be useful, but it was
plain that he regarded the expedition as a military
one, designed to assist the Panthays. He declared ^
that the Sanda people were willing to receive uSj but
were restrained by fear of Li-sieh-tax. Sladeu offered
"^ ~' H 2

100 PONSEE CAMP.

five hundred rupees, in addition to the money
already paid, for sufficient carriage to Manwyne,
where he would await the answer to his letters des-
patched the day before by the former messengers to
Momien and to the tsawbwa of Sanda, as he was
determined not to advance without the full consent
of all the Shan chiefs. He then, by a happy thought,
recounted to the assembled tsawbwas the sums of
money and presents that the arch robber Sala had
received from him for distribution. At this startling
revelation, the chief of Ponsee was evidently exas-
perated, and a storm was brewing, when suddenly
a shot was fired from a house on the hill above
us, and a bullet, or slug, whizzed over the tent
in which we were sitting, and presently another
struck the head of a camp cot inside. All were
naturally startled, but no one believed the first shot
to have been intentionally aimed until the second
was fired after the lapse of a few minutes. Sala
and the pawmines sprang out, and vociferated
frantically to the people in the village above. The
chief of Seray sat silent, and presently announced
that he should return to his own home, and the
meeting was forthwith dissolved.

True to his word, the Seray chief departed the
next day, leaving the message that he would return
as soon as we were rid of Ponline ; and the next
news was that the Ponsee chief had threatened Sala
with instant vengeance, and that our friend and
protector had decamped to his own village, taking

THE PAWMINES OF PONSEE. 101

with him all the presents entrusted to him for the
officials of Manwyne, &c., and forcibly carrying off
our Burmese interpreter Moung Mo.

The tsawbwa and pawmiues of Ponsee, who now
came to the front, as self-appointed arbiters of our
destinies, so far as progress was concerned, have
not yet been introduced.

The tsawbwa was a youth of eighteen, who
possessed no influence. What natural intelligence
he might possess was obscured by his habits of con-
tinual intoxication and debauchery, in company with
a number of " fast " young Kakhyens. He had
hitherto preserved a sort of sullen neutrality, occa-
sionally, however, conveying to us useful warnings,
but acting neither for nor against us. The real power
seemed to be exercised by his pawmines, four
brothers who had generally shown themselves
friendly. The eldest was a good-for-nothing merry-
andrew, in a chronic state of intoxication. The next
in age was a quiet, sensible man, who seemed fully
to appreciate the advantages that would accrue to
his people from the reopening of the trade between
Yunnan and Burma, and he frequently declared
that he was ready to give us all the help in his
power. He was nicknamed by us the " Red Paw-
mine ; " and his next brother and constant com-
panion, a little spare man, with high cheek-bones,
deeply sunken eyes, and features sharpened and
worn by bad health, was appropriately styled
" Death's Head." He was by far the ablest, but his

102 PONSEE CAMP.

quick, nervous temperament and violent temper ren-
dered him a difficult man to deal with. The youngest,
as excitable, but far less intelligent, was regarded
with jealous eyes by his three elder brothers.

The young tsawbwa for about a week subsequent
to Sala's departure professed himself our friend, and
a few days of tranquil and almost patient expectation
ensued, during which we endeavoured to extend our
acquaintance with the hill country about us, of
which we had as yet been able to see no more than
the outskirts of our camp or rather prison.

Accordingly, Stewart and I started on our ponies
to ascend the mountain, taking Deen Mahomed as
interpreter and a native boy to act as guide. No
sooner had the party passed the tsawbwa's house
than a hue and cry was raised by one of the paw-
mines, who shouted orders to the lad to return at
once. Disregarding the outcry, we pushed on along
a narrow bridle-path, but were delayed by the obsti-
nacy of a pony who declined to face a difficult bit of
road, and the villagers overtaking us, the guide
was dragged away by the pawmine. The tsawbwa
was appealed to, but he declared that it was not safe
to go up, as there was a village of " bad Kakhyens "
on the mountain, and Deen Mahomed was warned
with gesture symbolical of throat-cutting of what
would happen to him if he got another guide.
We consoled ourselves for this failure by a visit to
a burial-ground, on the top of a thickly wooded
height, which lay to the east of the camp. The path

A VISIT TO THE TAPENG. 103

leading to it was sprinkled at intervals with ground
rice, as an offering to the nats, and on two of the
graves, which were quite recent, lay a little tobacco
and a small cylindrical box containing chillies, while
outside the surrounding trench the skull of a pig, with
some more tobacco, had been placed. The conical
roof of bamboos and grass was decorated with a
finial of wood cut into two flag-like arms, painted
with rosettes in black and red, which ridiculously
resembled guide-posts.

The tsawbwa proved more obliging a day or two
afterwards, when a request was sent to him for a
guide to conduct us to the Tapeng river. The path
led along the saddle of the long spurs running down
to the valley, and the climate as we descended
changed from temperate to tropical ; the upper forest
consisted of oaks, cherry, apple, and peach trees,
especially in a magnificently wooded glen, while a
large mountain stream made its way over a rocky
channel, forming at one place a splendid waterfall
over a perpendicular cliff of gneiss. Along the tops
of the fruit trees a large troop of monkeys {Presbytis
albocinereus) were leisurely wandering.

In descending we could only keep our footing by
clutching at the overhanging branches, as our feet
slipped on the fallen leaves and bamboo spathes
which lay heaped in the steep and narrow path.
The roots which projected every now and then were
another and even worse impediment. Where, as
often happened, the path turned a sharp angle on

104 PONSEE CAMP.

the crests of the precipitous spurs, great caution
was needful, for if one had lost his equilibrium in
such a place, he would have certainly sent all in front
of him down the almost perpendicular decKvity. As
the lower level was reached, the trees became
essentially tropical, intermixed with musse, bamboos,
ratans, and splendid ferns, while huge cable-like
creepers intertwined their leafy cordage, and orchids
of various and novel species displayed their fantastic
beauties, and loaded the air with perfume.

After a long scramble down, we climbed over a
secondary spur, and at its foot reached a sandy
strand shaded by a magnificent banyan covered with
the fragrant blossoms of a large yellow orchid {Den-
drobium andersoni, Scott). Before us the roaring
Tapeng rushed in a torrent forty yards wide, over
a rocky bed, in a succession of foaming rapids and
deep smooth reaches. At this point its bed was
about thirteen to fourteen hundred feet above the
plains at Tsitkaw, twenty miles distant, so that its
descent is nearly seventy feet in the mile, the water
mark indicating the highest rise of the flood to be
twelve feet above its present level.

The only birds visible were two water wagtails
flitting from boulder to boulder in the middle of the
torrent. The rocks in position were gneiss, with
veins and large embedded oblong pieces of quartzite ;
the quartz often standing out in bold relief where
the gneiss surface had been worn away by the action
of the water. Huge boulders of the same rock and

A KAKHYEN PBREY. 105

pure white crystalline marble were strewn along
the river bed. Along the bank a foot-path led to a
spot where a raft lay ready, in the deep smooth
water above a rapid, to ferry over passengers to the
silver mines. The raft was attached by a loop to a
bark rope, stretched across the river. Our guide ex-
pressed his readiness " for a consideration " to conduct
us across, but not " that day ;" so we made our way
back again, and if the descent had been difficult, it
may be imagined how much more so was the return
journey, which, however, was safely accomplished.

A few days after this trip, we started, accompanied
by two of the Pongee pawmines, for a visit to the
silver mines. We reached the river by the next
spur, to the west of the path followed on the former
excursion, and, leaving the servants to prepare
breakfast under the banyan tree, made for the raft.
The guide rope was fastened to a fallen tree, six
feet above the river on the opposite bank, while
on our side it was carried over forked branches,
firmly fixed in the ground and secured to a huge
boulder. The raft proved to be on the other side,
and one of the Burmese followers caught hold of the
rope, and hand over hand succeeded in making his
way across the strong current. He was followed
by one of the pawmines, who evinced a careful
dexterity which argued him to be well accustomed
to what . seemed a dangerous task. The raft
was then brought across, one man in front
running the loop along the ro]De, and the other

106 PONSEE CAMP.

sitting behind with a paddle to keep it stemming the
stream. It was a simple wedge-shaped platform of
bamboos lashed together, presenting a sort of prow
which is kept against the rush of the stream.
Bamboos at each side supported seats of split bamboo,
and when the raft, which carried six persons, was
loaded, the " deck " was a couple of inches under water.

Arrived at the other side, we were struck by the
prevalence of white marble, and the extraordinary
contorted folds of an abrupt cliff of blue crystalline
quartzite rock, about fifty feet high, overlooking the
ferry. A narrow foot-path to the north-east of this cliff
led to a ridge of pure white crystalline marble, of the
same structure as the marble of the Tsagain hills.
The ridge, which was destitute of trees, was about six
hundred feet above the level of the river, running
almost parallel with its course for about a mile. A
small water-course dividing the ridge from a rounded
hill covered with waterworn boulders of the quartz-
ite rock marked the limits of the marble, which
terminated so abruptly as to be at once noticeable,
and the pawmine said there was no silver beyond
this limit. We walked along the almost level top
of the treeless ridge, and found at the eastern side a
pleasant valley, where the cultivated terraces showed
signs of the neighbourhood of a village, and a
Bauhinia in full bloom of white flowers with violet
centre occurred in great profusion.

The mines consisted of a series of galleries about
four feet in diameter, run horizontally into the slope

THE SILVEE MINES. 107

of the ridge facing the river. Our conductors led
us along the steep hillside, strewn with large
masses of iron pyrites, and overgrown with grass
and low jungle, so thick that each man had to cut
his way with a dah. "We passed about thirty of these
adits, which penetrated the hillside for two or
three hundred feet, sloping slightly downwards, and
with passages opening at right angles/ I crawled
into one of them, preceded by a guide with a lantern,
and made my way for a considerable distance along
the tunnel, the sides of which showed red earth
mixed with masses of marble and quartzite, but my
progress was stopped by finding the passage blocked
by tlie fallen roof, the bamboo props used when the
mine was worked having given way. No detailed in-
formation regarding the productiveness of these mines
could be obtained, and since the outbreak of the civil
war in Yunnan they had not been worked, save to a
very small and intermittent extent by the Kakhyens.
The heaps of slag in the glen near the small water-
courses, where all smelting operations had been con-
ducted, showed that a very considerable quantity of
ore used to be raised. Specimens of the ore assayed
by Professor Oldham have been found to contain
0'191 per cent, of silver in the galena. The mines
are of easy access, and from their close proximity
to the borders of China, little or no difficulty would
be experienced in finding labourers to work them.
Silver is also said to ,be found on the right bank of
the river, at a great elevation on the hillsides to the

108 PONSEE CAMr.

west of Ponsee ; and gold is asserted to occur near
the same locality, and specimens were shown to me
at Bhamo in grains some of which were as large as
small peas.

From the mines we returned across the river, and
breakfasted on the bank of the Tapeng, treating our
Kakhyen companions to some of the eatables, their
approval of which was indicated by jerking their
fists with the thumb extended, which emphatically
signifies that anything is very good. The fore-
finger is held straight to indicate that a man is
good, and crooked to denote one who is not to be
trusted.

So we returned to Ponsee, where we must again take
up the tangled thread of events bearing on our pro-
gress. A month had passed since our arrival, and
the advance of the season was marked by the call of
the cuckoo, which was often heard in the eastern
woods. The jungle had all been felled in the new
clearings, and nightly fires illuminated the opposite
hills, caused by the burning of the jungle over acres of
ground. Heavy thunder showers almost every night
did not add to our comfort, and heralded the speedy
setting in of the south-west monsoon.

But we were apparently as far off from any extri-
cation from our detention as ever.

The Seray tsawbwa had on March 22nd returned
with news that a Panthay official had arrived at Sanda,
and that the country so far was open. He also pro-
duced a letter addressed to himself by the governor

HOSTILITY OF PONSEE. 109

of Momien, requesting him to give us all the help in
his power, and promising to reimburse any expense
he might be put to in our service. The chief seemed
fully disposed to help, and started for his own
village to procure mules, with which he promised to
return in two days, leaving his Chinese clerk to help
us as an interpreter.

This was pleasant, and the improved temper of the
people was shown by the arrival of messengers from
the widow of a tsawbwa ruling a district on the
road to Manwyne, with a present of fowls, eggs, and
an uninviting compound of flour and chillies ; accom-
panied by a message that she and her people would
come and escort us to Manwyne. The dowager of
the late chief of that town also sent Sladen the gift
of two Kakhyen bags, and a curious implement
forming a toothbrush and tongue-scraper combined.

The Seray chief, however, did not show according
to promise, and a week after his departure news
came that two Chinamen had arrived from Bhamo,
with a party of fifty armed Burmese. These men
gave out that they had been sent to recommence
mining operations at the silver mines. ; The im-
mediate result was that the Seray chief, first by a
messenger, and then in person, repudiated his engage-
ment to procure mules, alleging that the Ponsee
chief had threatened to kill him if he assisted us to
quit the Ponsee territory. "^ Argument and expostu-
lation were useless, and ne nodded assent when
Sladen attributed his change of purpose to private

110 PONSEE CAMP.

instructions received from Bhamo. He departed,
after warning us to be on our guard against
the Ponsee chief, who had resolved to attack the
camp.

The hostility of the Ponsee chief was soon shown,
for the day after the arrival of the Burmese his
Kakhyens drove off all the Shans from our little
bazaar ; the chief himself came down with his dah
drawn, and cut down one of the traders, which act
of violence made him liable to pay an indemnity to
the Manwyne people. His pawmines came next
with the intelligence that he had summoned two
neighbouring tsawbwas to his assistance, that two
buffaloes had been slaughtered, and a grand sacri-
ficial feast was to be held that night, after which the
nats would be consulted as to our fate, when, if the
oracle commended it, the Kakhyens, drunk with
sheroo and samshu, would attack the camp. T"One of
the buffaloes had been supplied by the Burmese, and
the symbolic present of a pound of flesh, the accept-
ance of which signified consent, had been offered to
and accepted by the tsare-daic-gyee, or Burmese
royal secretary, in charge of the party7\ The
pound of flesh had been also sent to the pawmines,
but rejected by them, and they loudly denounced
their chief as an uncontrollable madman.

A wholesome fear of the European strangers had
gradually grown up ; they were believed to possess
supernatural powers. Breech-loading rifles and re-
volvers, and " Bryant and May's matches," which

EECONCILIATION. Ill

ignited only on the box, and defied wind and rain,
argued a close alliance with the nats of the elements ;
while the photographic apparatus appeared in Kakh-
yen eyes to be the instruments of conjurers, who
could control the sun himself. Hence but few of the
Kakhyens would join the chief, whom they considered
bent on his own destruction. While the conspirators
were revelling and consulting, our police escort was
drawn out and exercised, and the ominous sound of
three volleys from fifty guns, which to their universal
astonishment and awe all went off at once, terrified
them, and gave a significant hint that assailants
would meet a warm reception. The pawmines
prayed that they and their houses might be spared
in the general destruction that must overtake our
enemies, and the news soon reached us that the meet-
way, who was secretly in our pay, had announced that
the nats disapproved of the conspiracy.

The pawmines then requested permission to in-
troduce the two hostile tsawbwas, who accordingly
arrived ; their naturally villainous faces were not
improved by an expression of sheepish fear, but they
lightened up when Sladen received them kindly,
and without upbraiding them explained the advan-
tages that would arise to all if our plans should
be carried out. A present of an empty biscuit
tin and a beer bottle quite won their hearts,
and converted them into fast friends. The paw-
mines then represented that the young chief,
with whom, on his repentance, they bad made

112 PONSEE CAMP.

friends, desired to be forgiven and received into
favour. It was argued tliat lie felt very sore at
Ponline having defrauded him of his rightful gains,
and it was agreed that by way of making up for all
neglect he should receive one hundred rupees ! He
swore eternal friendship, and vowed that henceforth
we were his relations. Sladen asked him why he
had omitted his relations in the late distribution of
beef, at which he grinned, and went off awkwardly
enough, but still in good humour.

During the first few days of April, the situation
was hopeful and exciting, but the tsawbwa and his
pawmines, though outwardly reconciled, soon made
it evident that their respective interests clashed too
much for united action. The chief volunteered to go
and procure mules, the pawmines offered to supply
any number of coolies. The amount to be paid on
our arrival at Manwyne was fixed at five hundred
rupees, and this was eagerly coveted by the rivals ;
each in turn denounced the other as entertaining-
designs of looting the baggage, and the pawmines
declared that the chief dared not show his face in
Manwyne on account of a private feud.

Sladen refused to accept the separate services of
. either the chief or his subordinates, and this straight-
forward policy compelled a seeming reconciliation.
The Seray tsawbwa sent his pawmines with sixty
men and six mules, far too few for the baggage of
the party ; his men, however, declared they could
carry it all, and facetiously advised us to build houses

A FALSE STAKT. 113

for permanent residence at Ponsee, as the latter
chief would never be able to procure mules.

An amusing interlude was afforded by the arrival
of a half-caste, professing to be one of the chief men
of the tsawhwa-gadaw, or dowager chieftainess, of
Manwyne. He came in a breathless state of excite-
ment, and announced that he had succeeded in hiring
two hundred mules, but that the caravan had been
detained by the Kakhyen chiefs on the road, who
had sent him to say that they would allow them
to pass for one hundred rupees, and as a pledge of
their sincerity had entrusted him with an amber
chain worth that sum. The fellow must have had
a high opinion of our credulity, for the chain, when
produced, was valued at about eight annas, and he
was summarily dismissed.

At last, terms were arranged ; the pawmines were
to supply coolies, while the tsawbwa was to find
carriage for forty mule-loads, and the 7th of April
was appointed for the start. We were up with day-
light, tents were speedily struck, and baggage
packed for the march. The coolies soon assembled,
and the area of our little camp was covered with
wild-looking Kakhyens armed to the teeth with
matchlocks, spears, and dahs, looking much more like
a horde of banditti than peaceful porters. Their
demeanour was in keeping with their appearance, and
their dishonest purpose was evidenced by the bare-
faced rivalry displayed by the different parties in
seizing upon the packages which seemed most valu-

I

114 PONSEE CAMP,

able, irrespective of size or weight. The precaution
had been taken of telling off the escort into parties,
"with strict orders to preven t the exit of any baggage
until all were in readiness for a start. The crisis
was brought on by Sladen's japanned tin cases. The
youngest pawmine, who was first on the field, had
appropriated them for his coolies, but when his
brother, " Death's Head, "appeared, very much excited,
early as it was, with drink, he claimed them for his
men. On his brother's refusal to give them up, he
lost all command over himself. After a violent out-
burst of passion, he made a dash at the gold sword
which the king had presented to Sladen, and snatched
it from the Burmese servant in charge. This attempt
was frustrated by WilHams, who with a vigorous
wrench rescued the sword from " Death's Head's "
grasp. Thus foiled, he attacked the Burmese clerk,
who was taking down the names of the coolies, and
threatened to cut him down. A general hubbub
ensued, during which he rushed off to a camp fire,
lit his slow-match, and advanced priming his match-
lock, till he was close to Sladen, when he fired off
his piece in the air. The consternation which en-
sued reached its climax when an assistant surveyor
in a foolish panic fired his revolver. The Kakhyens
showed that they had no relish for a fight, and, throw-
ing down their loads, bolted in all directions. We
of course remained quiet, while the tsawbwa showed
more sense than could have been expected, calling
upon the Kakhyens not to fly, and after a time order

A FALSE STAET. 115

was restored. One of us followed " Death's Head,"
who had sat down at the end of the camp to reload his
gun, and by a little persuasion got him to send his
gun up to the village, and return to his duties. The
loads were all arranged, and the escort had been so
distributed that each set of coolies could be under sur-
veillance, with a chain of communication between
the van and rear guard, while the coolies carrying
the japanned tin cases were placed under the im-
mediate supervision of armed followers, so that they
could not " bolt " without creating an alarm. It was
high noon before all was ready, and then the tsawbwa
and pawmines, perhaps disgusted with these salutary
precautions, announced that, as Manwyne could not
be reached that day, our departure must be postponed
till the morrow. This was pleasant after toihng six
hours under a broiling sun, but we had nothing to
oppose to native caprice save patience, strongly
tempered with misgivings, which proved to be
correct. The next morning no coolies appeared, and
the pawmines came down to say that they could not
fulfil their promise, as the tsawbwa had refused his
co-operation. The chief himself soon afterwards
arrived to lay the onus of the failure on the paw-
mines. A probable instigator of the whole scheme
was the Nanlyaw tamone, who, after a long absence,
suddenly presented himself in our camp, and whom
Sladen, having had repeated proofs of his machina-
tions, at once arrested as a spy ; but at the urgent
intercession of his friends, the pawmines, he was

I 2

116 PONSEE CAMP.

dismissed with a strong caution not to show himself
again in our vicinity.

(^t this juncture, when all hope of extrication from
our Ponsee prison seemed to have vanished, lette^rs
arrived from the governor of Momien, informing
Sladen that he was about to take the field injerson,
with a strong force, to attack Li-sieh-tai, and
drive him from his stronghold of Mawphoo. j The
I letters further recommended us not to attempt to
1 advance beyond Manwyne until advices should reach
us of the defeat of the Chinese partisan. A second
letter was a circular addressed to the Kakhyen chiefs,
exhorting them to give all possible aid to the expedi-
tion. This at once gave a vantage ground, from,
which to deal with our highland friends, and it was
improved by Sladen. Kakhyens, Burmese, and
Shans had alike conceived extravagant ideas of the
value of our baggage, and showed beyond doubt that
the hope of getting possession of all, or a part of it,
was a strong motive of their action or inaction.
The leader therefore began to proclaim on all sides
that though we had cheerfully endured privations
and delays, in the hope of thoroughly conciliating
the natives, they were not to imagine our patience
to be inexhaustible. If we should be compelled to
abandon all or any part of our baggage, it would be
piled up and burned before our departure ; thus they
would lose their expected plunder, and incur the risk
of future reprisals, or demands for compensation, and,
above all, certainly alienate those who sought to be

LETTEES FEOM MOMIEN. 117

their friends. To this the chiefs replied in substance
as follows : " Do not blame us for your misfortunes ;
we have been always in doubt how to act, on account
of the many warnings we have received against
aiding your progress. Now we know you. You
have always been kind to us, and are a powerful
people."

/ Vexatious and harassing as had been our detention
at Ponsee, it is certain that it would have been
before this period quite impossible to proceed beyond
Manwyne, and our residence among these semi-savage
tribes served to convert their first suspicions into
confidence, and to impress them with the value of
our friendship. J The uniform kindness with which
all just services were requited, as contrasted with
the treatment to which they had hitherto been sub-
jected in their deahngs with other races, especially
with the Burmese, gradually worked its effect.

At this time letters were received through Burmese
agency, from no less a person than Moung Shuay
Yah, who since his treacherous desertion had never
been heard of. Now all of a sudden his name was
mentioned ad natiseam by the Burmese followers, and
two Kakhyens arrived with letters purporting to
have been written at some halting-place in the Shan
country ; but the bearers contradicted each other, and
could not tell when, or from whom, they had received
the letters. Next day, another letter was brought
by one of the silver mining party, which, he said,
Moung Shuay Yah had given him fourteen days be-

118 PONSEE CAMP.

fore, but whicli he had forgotten to deliver. The fact
was the interpreter had started for Momien, having
heard of the change of our prospects, and our pro-
bable advance to that city. As it was needful, if
possible, to save appearances, Moung Shuay Yah in
his letter declared that he had been obliged to fly to
save his life from the anger of Sala. Fortunately
his place was by this time well supplied by
Moung Mo, whom, it may be remembered, Sala had
carried off with him, but who had returned and
placed himself at Sladen's disposal. He amply
corroborated all that had been before told us of the
efforts of the Bhamo people to obstruct our progress.
Orders had been received from Mandalay, conveying
the king's displeasure at our detention at Ponsee,
and authorising Sala to take us to Manwyne, but he
had replied that after being induced by the Burmese
of Bhamo to compromise himself with us, he would
have nothing further to do with it.

It was supposed by our leader that the express
object of stationing the armed miners at Ponsee
was to deter the Kakhyens from helping us. Moung
Mo, in addition, assured us that he had ascertained
that Li-sieh-tai had sworn to oppose any attempt on
our part to penetrate the Shan states, and he advised
us on no account to proceed to Manwyne without an
intimation from the Panthays that the road was open.
An important circumstance occiirred at this time
in the arrival of messengers and a Chinese inter-
preter from Momien. They brought no letters, but

A HAILSTOEM. 119

were charged by the Tah-sa-kon* to make personal
inquiries into the real objects of the mission and our
circumstances at Ponsee. It transpired that letters
from Bhamo had informed the governor that we
represented a powerful nation in alliance with the
Chinese, and foes to the Mahommedans all over
the world, and that our real object was to destroy
the Panthay dominion in Yunnan.

Sladen thoroughly dispelled these suspicions, and
sent away the envoys completely satisfied as to the
genuineness of our pacific intentions. The proba-
bilities of an advance were, however, still remote
and uncertain, and the wet season had fairly set in,
marked by a constant succession of thunder and
heavy rains. Dense masses of mist rolled up the
valley like vast advancing curtains, shrouding the
mountains in their gigantic folds, and producing an
artificial twilight, and torrents of rain descended for
three or four hours incessantly, soaking the tents ;
our waterproof blankets alone saving the inmates
from complete saturation, but not from the utter
discomfort of living in a puddle.

One storm deserves accurate description. Up to
4 P.M. of April 12th, the wind had been blowing in
fitful cool gusts from the south-west, but at that
hour there was a sudden lull; distant thunder was
heard echoing among the mountains, and heavy
black clouds came rolling up ; a few drops of rain

* Tah-sa-Jcon, a civil title equivalent to Commissioner or
Administrator.

120 PONSEE CAMP.

gave, as it were, the signal for a discharge of hail-
stones, or rather flakes of ice. The wind blew in
violent gusts, and thunder rumbled over head, but
the flashes of lightning were very faint. The
hailstones were circular discs about the size of a
shilling, flat on one side, and convex on the other.
A white nucleus two-eighths of an inch in diameter,
and in many cases with a prominent boss of clear
ice on the convex side, formed the centre of a pel-
lucid zone surrounded by an opaque one, in its
turn encased in clear ice ; the inner margin of this
external zone was filled with a dark substance, re-
sembling mud combined with delicate ice crystals ; the
whole disc strongly resembling a glass eye ; when
fractured, the nucleus separated itself as a small
short column, flat at one end, and convex at the other.

During the storm, which lasted for twenty minutes,
the aneroid rose from 26*62 to 26*65, and the
attached thermometer registered 67°, the maximum
heat during the day having been 84°.

It was evident that the season was closed for pur-
poses of engineering , survey and exploration, and
this, combined with the reduced state of the exche-
quer, induced the leader of the expedition to address
a circular to the members of the party, placing before
them the facts, and suggesting that it would be for
the interests of the public service that the numbers
should be reduced in order to curtail the future
expense of transport. It was necessary in fact to
lighten the ship, and each was invited to consider

CIECULAE TO MEMBERS OF MISSION. 121

how far lie could assist in this needful work. Sladen
had determined to remain, ^y' necessary, for some months,
until the opportunity should arrive to visit Momien,
and at all hazards personally communicate with the
Panthays ; but he felt that he ought to place it in
the power of the other members of the expedition to
return, especially as the work which some of them
had been despatched to effect could not be performed.
This circular was sent round on the 17th, and the
news of the fall of Mawphoo and the utter defeat
of Li-sieh-tai reached us on the 18th of April, and
was afterwards fully confirmed by despatches from the
Tah-sa-kon, announcing his victory and writing to us
to advance under the protection of all the chiefs en
route. Our friends the tsawbwa and his pawmines,
who had been day by day '* making believe," as
children say, to discuss plans for procuring mules,
were evidently much influenced by this ; but they
could not help showing their greed for rupees, and
their continual demand was that three hundred
should be paid before starting.

It was only later on that we learned that all these
Kakhyens, especially Sala, had always been steady
adherents of Li-sieh-tai, and that his utter defeat
made them thoroughly anxious to conciliate the
victorious Panthays.

The tsawbwa presented himself in a very penitent
mood, and, confessing all his past misconduct, averred
his determination to give up drink and debauchery
and do his duty as a chief. Linking his fingers

122 PONSEE CAMP.

together witli an expressive shake, he vowed leal
service to his English friends, and then started off
in company v^ith his head pawmine on the road to
Manwyne, where he expected to meet the Seray chief,
and arrange means for our transport.

As if a new order of things had set in, our camp
now was daily crowded by Kakhyens, all in the
highest good humour. The women of the village
came down en masse, bringing presents of fowls,
eggs, sheroo, and rice, but the fair ones had an eye
to business ; beads, looking-glasses, bright new silver
coins, and what they seemed most to prize, red cloth,
were in great demand. [_A brisk trade was driven
in the various ornaments, and they stripped off their
bead necklaces and ratan girdles and leggings with
great glee, and even a bell-girdle, the distinctive
ornament of Kakhyen aristocracy, which hitherto
even rupees had failed to secure, was now acquired
in return for red cloth; indeed, it seemed quite possible
to purchase a Kakhyen belle, ornaments, and all, for
a few yards of the much prized material; and they
returned home with great glee, shorn of their decora-
tions, but rich in beads and cloth. ^Some came to
solicit medical aid ; cases of severe ulcerations, caused
probably by their labour in the jungle, and aggravated
by dirt, being common.' The gratitude evinced for
the relief given was touchingly shown by the presents,
deposited with a fearful humility that showed the
donor's belief in the intimate connection between
the doctor and the nats. \ Every day both chiefs and

PEIENDLY EELATIONS WITH KAKHYENS. 123

people from the more distant villages flocked in, and
none came empty-handed. Grifts of rice, vegetables,
tobacco, and sheroo, were brought not merely in the
hope of return presents, but evidently as signs of
amity. There could be no mistaking their feeling,
that strangers who behaved with kindness and justice
were welcome. (Jhese poor hill people had hardly ' '
ever known what it was to be treated with confidence ; '
on either side, Burmese and Chinese had wronged and >< ' ,
oppressed them. Monsig. Bigandet states that they "' ''
had formerly been characterised by a genial kindli-
ness and ready hospitality to strangers, but that the
cruel treatment they experienced in Burmese towns,
and the fraudulent evasion of payment for their
services, had rendered them suspicious, greedy, and
treacherous. It is not to be wondered at if the
presence among them of strangers of an unknown
race, escorted by an armed force, should at first have
been regarded by them with fear and dislike, and it
is with a modest pride that we recall the kindly con-
fidence in the strangers which had sprung up towards
the end of our long detention at Ponsee. (The people r''- '',"
from the distant villages continually asked, " Why ',•■
did you not come our way ? we should have then had ^^'-'
some of the good things that you have brought for r^
the Ponsee people."_j'The camp was perpetually full ;
the men, after curiously inspecting the many wonders
that presented themselves, chatted and smoked with
our followers ; and the women, old and young,
eagerly petitioned for small hand glasses, and black

124 PONSEE CAMP.

or green beads, the latter being most valued, and
straightway converted their prizes into personal
decorations. The young women formed in lines, each
clasping her neighbour in a coquettish embrace, their
shyness had vanished, they chatted and flirted freely,
and did not even flinch from being photographed.

The friendly intercourse with these visitors gave
us most welcome opportunities of inquiry into their
customs, their national and social life. There was
no backwardness in answering any questions, and
the record of delays and difficulties may be well
interrupted by a few pages devoted to these moun-
taineers. Those of whom we saw the most were all
dwellers to the north of the Tapeng, but some of
the visitors came from the southern hills, and the
general characteristics distinguish both these and
the clans visited by us on the return journey, who
seem to be more civilised than their northern con-
geners,„ It is right here to acknowledge that the
following account of this people has been rendered
fuller and more accurate by the use of some notes
furnished by Major Sladen from accounts given by
natives, and by the use of a valuable memoiT on the
territories written by the learned an^"~indefatigable
missionary,, 'Bishop Bigandet, whose warmest sym-
pathies have been called out for these poor moun-
taineers, of whom he said, " It is of the utmost im-
portance to know them, their character and habits,
and~to~be prepared to secure their good will, when-
ever the thought of opening communications with
Western China shall have been seriously entertained .',^J

Iz;

W
S

X

K

THE KAKHTENS. 125

CHAPTER Y.

THE KAKHYENS.

The Kakhyens or Kakoos — The clans — Their chiefs — Mountain
Tillages — CultiTation and. crops — Personal appearance — Costume
— Arms and implements — Female dress and ornaments — Women's
■work — Sheroo — Morals — Marriage — Music — Births — Funerals —
Eeligion — Language — Character — How to deal with them — Our
party.

From the summit of the lofty hill, fully two thousand
feet above our camp, called Shitee-doung, which
it became possible to ascend during the latter part
of our stay, an extensive view was obtained. From
it to the north a sea of hills extended as far as the
eye could reach ; to the south stretched ranges of hills
covered with forest, save where little clearings showed
the presence of villages ; to the north-east lofty parallel
ranges closed in a narrow valley with a river winding
down it. These hills are the country of the Kakhyens.
These mountaineers belong to the widely spread race
that under the name of Singphos, Kakoos, &c. occupy
the hiUs defining the Irawady basin, up to the wall
of the Khamti plain, and are probably cognate with
the hill tribes of the Mishmees and Nagas. The
name Kakhyen is a Burmese appellation ; they

12€ THE KAKHYENS.

invariably designating themselves as Chingpaw, or
" men."* By their own account the hills to the north
of the Tapeng, for a month's journey, are occupied
by kindred tribes. South of the Tapeng, they occupy
the hills as far as the latitude of Tagoung, and, as
mentioned, were met with on our voyage near the
second defile. To the east, they are found occupying
the hills, and, intermixed with the Shans and Chinese,
almost to Momien. Here they, as it were, run into the
Leesaws, who may be a cognate, but are not an
identical, race. The two chief tribes in the hills of
the Tapeng valley are the Lakone and Kowrie or
Kowlie, but numerous subdivisions of clans occur.
All are said to have originally come from the Kakoos'
country, north-east of Mogoung ; and Shans informed
us that two hundred years ago Kakhyens were
unknown in Sanda and Hotha valleys. To give
one instance of their migrations. The Lakone tribe
have at a very recent period driven the Kowlies
from the northern to the southern banks of the
Tapeng. A Lakone chief, having married the
daughter of a KowKe, asked permission to cul-
tivate land belonging to his father-in-law ; receiving
a refusal, he took forcible possession, and drove the
Kowlies across the river to the hills where they now
dwell.

Among these hill tribes the patriarchal system
of government has hitherto universally prevailed,

* " En langue Mou-tse et Kong un homme se dit Eo-ha, en langue
Kho il se dit Ka-sya." — ' Voyage d'Exploration,' tome i. p. 378.

THE CLANS AND THEIE CHIEFS. 127

although a certain, or rather uncertain, obedience
is nominally due to Burmese or Chinese authorities.
Thus the Ponsee and Ponline chiefs had each re-
ceived a gold umbrella and the title of papada raza
from the king of Burma. Each clan is ruled by
an hereditary chief or tsawbwa, assisted by lieutenants
or pawmines, who adjudicate all disputes among the
villagers. Their oflSce is also hereditary, and pro-
perly limited to the eldest son, whereas the chief-
tainship descends to the youngest son, or, failing sons,
to the youngest surviving brother. The land also
follows this law of inheritance, the younger sons in
all cases inheriting, while the elder go forth and
clear wild land for themselves. Between Tsitkaw
and Manwyne seven clans under separate chiefs are
met with, each chief considering himself entitled to
exact a toll of four annas per mule-load from travellers
through his district. The chieftain's goodwill being
secured by payment of his toll or blackmail, that ot
the people follows as a matter of course. When the
traveller quits the lands of one chief, he is handed
over by his guide to the next headman, and is as
safe with him as with the former. The tsawbwa is
the nominal owner of the land, but a suggestion to a
villager that the chief might evict him from his hold-
ing was replied to by a significant sawing motion ol
the hand across the throat. As a general rule, the
chief owns the slaves found everywhere among these
people. Most have been stolen as children, but adults
are also kidnapped. The women become concubines.

128 THE KAKHYENS.

the men are well treated if industrious and willing.
The children of slaves belong to the owner, but really
are as well treated as the members of his family.
When a tsawbwa marries, he is expected to present
a slave to his father-in-law, among the other gifts.
The market value of a boy or girl is about forty
rupees, but that of a man not more than twenty to
thirty rupees, or a bu£falo.

Every house pays the chief an annual tribute of a
basket of rice. "Whenever a buffalo is killed, a quarter
is presented to him. He is usually a trader, and,
besides the receipt of tolls, derives a profit from the
hire of mules or coolies for transport. Save in this
respect, it was impossible to help being reminded of
Scottish highland clans of the olden time, so many
were the points of resemblance that occurred in the
customs and indeed character of these mountaineers,
though, to avert all possible indignation, I hasten
to add that no parallel is intended to be drawn,
especially as regards their morals or social life.

The Kakhyen villages are always situated near a
perennial mountain stream, generally in a sheltered
glen, or straggling with their enclosures up a gentle
slope, covering a mile of ground. The houses, which
usually face eastwards, are all built on the same plan
as that tenanted by us at Ponline. The most usual
dimensions are about one hundred and fifty to two hun-
dred feet in length, and forty to fifty feet in breadth.
These large bamboo structures are veritable barracks.
The first room is hospitably reserved for strangers ;

THE MOUNTAIN VILLAGES. 129

the others form the apartments of several famihes,
connected by blood or marriage, which compose the
household community. The back entrance is reserved
for the use of the members of these famihes. A
serious demand for compensation arose out of the
inadvertence of one of our servants who entered by
the family door, and thus provoked the domestic nat.
The projecting eaves, supported by posts which are
adorned with the skulls of buffaloes and pigs, form
a portico, where men and women lounge or work
by day, and at night the live stock — buffaloes,
mules, ponies, pigs, and poultry — are housed, while
a bamboo fence guards them from possible thief or
leopard.

Near the houses are small enclosures, where white-
flowered poppies, plantains, and indigo are culti-
vated ; paddy and maize are grown together on the
adjacent slopes and knolls, which are carefully scarped
in terraces, presenting often the appearance of an
amphitheatre. The stream is dammed near the
highest point, and directed so as to overflow the
terraces and rejoin the channel at the base. Bamboo
conduits are sometimes used to convey the water to
paddy fields or distant houses. Fresh clearings arc
also made every year by felling and burning the
forest on the hillsides. Near every village disused
paths may be seen, which have been cut to former
clearings, and along which a little canal has been
carried. The cleared ground is broken up with a
rude hoe, but in the cultivated terraces wooden

130 THE KAKHYENS.

ploughs are used. Excessive rain, which makes the
paddy weak and the yield scanty, is most dreaded.
Grenerally, the natural fertility of the soil more than
repays the rude husbandry with beautiful crops of
rice, maize, cotton, and tobacco, of excellent quality.
Near the villages, peaches, pomegranates, and guavas
are grown ; and the forests abound with chestnuts,
plums, cherries, and various wild brambleberries.
On the higher slopes, oaks and birches grow in
abundance, and large areas are covered with Cin-
namomum caudatum and C. cassia, the oil of which
is commonly sold as oil of cinnamon. Thousands of
these trees are annually felled to clear new ground
for cultivation and burned where they lie. Another
natural production is the tea plant {Camellia thea),
which grows freely on the eastern side of the hills,
and suggested dreams of future tea plantations,
cultivated by improved Kakhyens or imported Shans
and Paloungs.

Among the inhabitants of the villages, both
those who visited our camp and the southern hill-
men seen on the homeward route, the variety of
faces is striking. This may be probably owing
to admixture of Shan and Burmese blood, but two
types may be said to predominate ; the one with a
fine outhne of features, which recalled the womanly
faces of the Oacharies and Lepchas of Sikkim. In it
the oblique eye is very strongly marked, and the
face is a longish, rather compressed oval, with
pointed chin, aquiline nose, and prominent malars.

PERSONAL APPEAEANCE. 131

One Kakhyen belle met with at Bhamo, with large
lustrous eyes and fair skin, might almost have passed
for a European. The other and by far the most
prevalent type is probably the true Chingpaw, pre-
senting a short, round face, with low forehead and
very prominent malars. The ugliness of the shghtly
oblique eyes, separated by a wide space, the broad
nose, thick protruding lips, and broad square chin,
is only redeemed by the good-humoured expression.
The hair and eyes are usually a dark shade of brown,
and the complexion is a dirty buff. The average
height for men is from five feet to five feet six
inches, and four feet six inches to five feet for
women. The limbs are slight, though well formed,
one peculiarity being the disproportionate shortness of
the legs. This is also observable among the Karens,
to whom the Kakhyens bear a general resemblance,
suggesting a common origin, which is further in-
dicated by their language. Though not muscular,
they are very agile, and the young girls bound hke
deer along the hill-paths, their loose dark locks
streaming behind them. They bring down from
the hills loads of fire-wood and deal planks which
we found as much as we could lift. However in-
teresting and picturesque their appearance may be,
closer inspection dissolves the enchantment lent by
distance. Both persons and clothes appear never to
have been washed, and the dress, once put on, is never
changed till it is worn to pieces. Neither men nor
women use combs, and the state of the thick matted

K 2

132 THE KAKHYENS.

felt of hair can better be imagined than described.
Although they never seemed to wash except faces,
hands, and feet, some of the men were good swim-
mers and divers, and proudly exhibited their skill,
disclosing thereby the fact that their bodies were
tattooed with blue dots, chiefly on the chest and
back. The dress of the men usually consists of a
Shan jacket and short breeches of blue cotton cloth,
supported by a cotton girdle. The hair is coiled in a
blue or sometimes a red turban ; the moustache and
beard are very scanty, but their custom of eradi-
cating the natural growth renders it hard to judge.
They insert in the lobe of the ear a piece of bamboo, or
a lappet of embroidered red cloth, a leaf or flower,
or a piece of paper, our old newspapers being in
great request ; and a number of fine ratan rings
encircle the leg below the knee. /It seemed to us that
the Kakhyen men were ready to adopt any dress ; some
even wore their hair in the Chinese pigtail. J The
" Red Pawmine," on grand occasions, turned out in
a bright red turban, rose-checked breeches, and a red
blanket over his shoulders. The chiefs usually wear
Chinese padded jackets-, leggings made of rolls of
blue cloth, and Shan shoes. They are distinguished,
especially in the case of those who rigidly adhere
to the ancient Kakhyen costume, by neck-hoops of
silver, resembling Celtic torques, and the necklace
of beads or cylinders of an ochreous earth. These
are found in the Mogoung district, and are highly
valued, being reputed to be the authentic handiwork

COSTUME. 133

of the earth nats. Some Kakoos met with at Sanda
wore a broad piece of blue cotton cloth, with a
red embroidered border of woollen stuff, like a kilt,
reaching to the knee. This seems to be the true
Kakhyen dress ; and they also wore their hair un-
covered, and cut straight across the forehead, like
the Kakhyen maidens. No hillman is ever seen
without his dah, or knife ; it is half sheathed in
wood, and suspended to a ratan hoop covered with
embroidered cloth and adorned by a leopard's tooth.
This is slung over the right shoulder, so as to bring
the hilt in front ready to the grasp of the right
hand. Two sorts of dahs are in use : one the long
sword, such as the Thibetans use, two feet and a
half in length, with a long cylindrical wooden hilt,
bound with cord and finished with a red tassel.
The other is shorter and broader, widening from the
hilt to the truncated tip. This knife the Burmese
call "the Kakhyen's chief"; it is wielded with
great dexterity either to cut down trees or men, or
to execute the fine lineal tracery with which their
bamboo opium pipes and fan cases are decorated.
It is appealed to in every argument, and drawn on
visible foes and invisible nats with equal readiness.
On one occasion we espied a woman on the hillside
writhing on the ground in evident pain. A passing
villager came to her assistance, and at once out
flashed his dah, with which he executed several cuts
in the air over the prostrate woman. This was
to drive away the nat who had taken possession ; he

134 THE KAKHYENS.

then threw earth over her head, and ran off to the
village to procure help to carry her home. During
the latter part of our stay, one of the police escort,
during a chaffing argument with a Kakhyen visitor,
was without warning felled by a blow of the dah.
The savage decamped to the jungle, leaving the
sepoy bleeding from a gash on his head, and another
on the arm, with which he had warded off the
blow and so saved his skull from being split.
These dahs are made by the Shans of the Hotha
valley, who are the itinerant smiths of the country.
Other arms are a long matchlock, and a cross-
bow, with arrows poisoned with the juice of an
aconitum. They are much used in hunting ; the flesh
round the wound being cut out, the rest of the animal
is eaten without danger. An invariable article of
equipment is an embroidered bag worn over the right
shoulder, containing pipe, tobacco, lime and betel
box, money, and a bamboo flask of sheroo. A most
ingenious apparatus supplies a Kght for the constant
pipe. It resembles a child's popgun, and consists of
a small cylinder four inches long, open at one end,
into which is very tightly fitted a piston, with a
cup-shaped cavity at the lower end. In it, a small
pellet of tinder is placed, the piston is driven down
smartly, and as quickly withdrawn, when the tinder
is found to be ignited.

It is worth recording that the men invariably
smoke opium, but not to excess ; rarely, if ever, did
we see them use tobacco for smoking, though they

KAKHYEN AND SHAN PIPES, MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, ETC.

Fig. 1. Kakliyen ladle for prepuring opium.
'2. Kakhyen opium forceps.
3. 4. Kakhyen cylinder and piston
striking fire.

5. Shan flute with gourd mouthpiece.

6. ''akhyen double flute.

1. Kakhvpii oniiini lionkah ("bamboo"!.

Fig. 9. Kakhyen opium hookah, the mouthpiece
ma<!c of the underground stem and the
water receptacle of the segment of a re-
markable t'amboo with swollen internodes.

10. Chinese bamboo lamp.

1 1 . Shan powder flask.

12. Shan violin.

13. Bow for ditto.
1-1. Shan guitar.

To face page 134.

AEMS AND IMPLEMENTS. 135

were addicted to chewing it. The juice of the poppy,
exuding from incisions made in the green capsules,
is collected on plantain leaves, which are dried, and
in this form the opium is smoked either in hookahs
made of the segment of a peculiarly shaped bamhoo
or in brass pipes of Chinese manufacture. /_^ Whether
the cultivation and use of opium have spread from '
Assam or from Yunnan is uncertain, but we found it '
universal from the Burmese plain to Momien, although
the method of smoking it among the Kakhyens
differs altogether from that of the Chinese.J Dr.
Bayfield, in 1837, observed of the Singphos, on the
western side of the Irawady valley, that, " from what-
ever source derived, the cultivation of the poppy
is now universal ; " and he describes the methods
of collection and use as the same, save that coarse
cloth was used instead of leaves.

The men rarely employ themselves in manual
labour; a few of the more industrious assist the
women to fell the jungle and set it on fire, but most
of this labour is left to the women. In general, the
men till the land ; but between the seasons, they
wander from hoxise to house, and village to village,
gossiping, drinking, or smoking. Journeys to dis-
pose of produce, or carry goods, hunting excur-
sions, and occasional fights or forays, are not
reckoned labour. They do not work in metals,
but are very skilful in adorning bamboos or
wooden implements with carving. The designs of
their tracery are the simplest combinations of straight

136 THE KAKHYENS.

lines, and rude figures of birds and animals,
characteristic of the most primitive art.

The Kakhyen women have adopted the short
loose Shan jacket of blue cotton, slashed with red
cloth, variously ornamented, according to the means
of the wearer, with cowries and silver. This covers
the arms and breast, but leaves the waist exposed,
save for a profusion of ratan girdles, adorned with
lines of white seeds. These also support the kirtle
or kilt, which reaches from the hips to the knee, the
border of the skirt being chequered in red, blue, and
yellow. Cowries form a favourite ornamentation of
every part of the dress, and the daughters of chiefs
wear broad belts of these shells. Besides the dis-
tinctive bell-girdle, fine ratan rings encircle the leg
below the knee, but no shoes are worn. Most of the
matrons coil their hair in the folds of the Shan turban,
but the original Chingpaw head-dress is a puggery
of embroidered cloth, twisted round the head, while
the end, fringed with beads, falls gracefully on the
shoulder. Unmarried women wear no head-dress,
and cut their hair square across the forehead in a
fashion not unknown in England, while their back
hair, unrestrained by any fastening, streams down
behind. The ears are pierced both through the
lobes and upper cartilage. In the latter orifice
is inserted a lappet of embroidered cloth tasselled
with small green and black beads; silver tubes,
reaching to the shoulder, are also worn by the
wealthier belles, while the poorer display fresh

FEMALE DEESS AND OENAMENTS. 137

flowers or leaves. Anything seems convertible into an
ear-ring : thus a cheroot, or, as seen by us, a freshly
plucked leek, is stuck into the ear. All who can,
wear necklaces of beads, but silver hoops called
gerees, and the komoung of red ochreous beads, are
peculiar to the necks of high-born damsels.

It has been remarked that the men are averse to
labour, but the lot of all women irrespective of rank
is one of drudgery. They are not allowed to eat with
the men, and are looked on as mere beasts of burden,
valued only for their usefulness ; but they seem con-
tented with their lot, and are always cheerful and
light-hearted. Their brisk activity forms a pleasing
contrast to the lounging idleness of their lords.
Much, if not most, of the field-work falls to their
share, and their daily routine is one of incessant
and hard labour. Their first duty in the morning
is to clean and crush the rice for the daily con-
sumption, and late at night the dull thud of the
heavy pestle, with the accompaniments of their
regular wild cry and the jingling of the bell-
girdles, was to be heard. They fetch water from the
stream, and firewood from the jungle. This latter
is a most laborious task, as the girls have to search
for dry wood, cut it into faggots, and bring it home
on their backs. Their bare legs are often lacerated
in the jungle, and the wounds, aggravated by dirt
and neglect, form intractable ulcers. Many such
cases were brought to our camp for treatment.
Another effect of the hard work and exposure is

138 THE EAKHYENS.

to be observed in tbe frequency of grey bair among
tbe young women, tbe matted locks of even girls
of ten and twelve years being abundantly silvered
as if by premature old age.

Their ordinary bouse labours include tbe prepara-
tion of sheroo, or Kakbyen beer, a beverage always in
demand. This is regarded as a serious, almost sacred
task, tbe women, wbile engaged in it, having to live
in almost vestal seclusion. Certain herbs and roots
dried in the sun are mixed with chillies and ginger, to
avert the interference of malignant nats ; the mixture
is pulverised with some rice in a mortar, and reduced
to a paste which is carefully preserved in the form
of cakes, wrapped in mats. Crushed rice mixed with
fresh plantains is steeped for half a day, and allowed
to dry. It is next boiled, or " mashed," with a due
proportion of the " medicine " or powdered cake in a
paungyaung, or wooden tub, placed within a copper
caldron, from which it is, after cooling and fermenting
for a week in a leaf-covered basket, transferred to a
closely covered earthen jar. After twenty days the
sheroo is fit to drink, but is better if left for six
months. This forms the stock, to which water is
added, and the beverage is offered in a bamboo,
closed with a fresh plantain leaf. This liquor
resembles very small beer, but is pleasant and
refreshing. A similar beverage is found among the
Lepchas of Darjeeling, who imbibe it through a
reed, the Looshais and Nagas. The Khyens and
Karens also prepare a rice-beer like the congee of

WOMEN'S WOEK. 139

the Burmese ; the Nagas also prepare " moad " from
rice, and the Khamtis and Singphos of the Hoo-
kong valley distil a spirit which the latter call
sahoo ; but the Kakhyens procure all their supplies
of sams/iu, or rice spirit, from the Shan-Chinese.

It is naturally the business of the women to spin,
dye, and weave the home-grown cotton. Their loom
is of a primitive form, the same as that used among
the Khyens, the Munipoories, and other tribes on the
north-east of Assam. One end of the warp is held
in position by pegs driven into the ground, and the
other is kept on the stretch by a broad leather strap
fastened round the back of the woman as she sits on
the ground with her legs straight before her. A long
piece of wood keeps the threads of the warp open,
so that the shuttle, which is thirty inches long, and
worked by both hands, can pass easily. With this
they produce a strong thick cloth, and weave
fanciful patterns of red, green, and yellow. They
are also adepts at embroidery in silk and cotton,
which is only applied to the decoration of the bags
or havresacks worn by the men.

The code of morality of the Kakhyens has been
variously represented. *Unchastity before marriage
is certainly not regarded as a disgrace. If pos-
sible, the parents of the girl endeavour to get the
lovers married, but it is not an imperative duty.
Should, however, an unmarried girl die enceinte,
the father of the child is bound to compensate
her parents by the present of a slave, a buffalo.

140 THE KAKHYENS.

a dah, and otlier articles, and to give a feast to
the inmates of the house. FaiKng this, he is liable
to be sold as a slave. This arises from the value set
upon a marriageable daughter, both as regards her
present working power and her future price as a
wife, which is not lessened by an indiscretion.

Infidelity after marriage is a crime which the
husband may punish on the spot by the death of
both the offenders. In case of elopement of a wife,
the husband is entitled to recover damages, fixed at
double the amount expended by him at his marriage.
For this the relatives and clansmen of the lover are
held liable on pain of a feud.

The ceremony of marriage, besides the religious
rites, combines the idea of purchase from the parents
with that of abduction, so frequently found to
underlie the nuptial rites of widely separated
races. An essential preliminary is to get the diviner
to predict the general fortune of the intended bride.
Some article of her dress or ornaments is procured,
and handed to the seer, who, we may suppose,
being thereby brought en rapport with her, pro-
ceeds to consult omens and predict her bedeen
or destiny. If auspiciousf messengers bearing
presents are sent to make proposals to the girl's
parents, who specify the dowry required and agreed
to by the envoys. All being adjusted, two messengers
are sent from the bridegroom to inform the bride's
friends that such a day is appointed for the
marriage. They are liberally feasted, and escorted

MARRIAGE. 141

home by two of her relatives, who promise to be
duly prepared. When the day comes, five young men
and girls set out from the bridegroom's village to
that of the bride, where they wait till nightfall in a
neighbouring house. At dusk the bride is brought
thither by one of the stranger girls, as it were, with-
out the knowledge of her parents, and told that these
men have come to claim her. They all set out at once
for the bridegroom's village. In the morning the
bride is placed under a closed canopy, outside the
bridegroom's house. Presently there arrives a party
of young men from her village, to search, as they say,
for one of their girls who has been stolen. They
are invited to look under the canopy, and bidden, if
they will, to take the girl away ; but they reply, " It
is well ; let her remain where she is."

While a buffalo, &c. are being killed as a sacrifice,
the bridegroom hands over the dowry, and exhibits
the trousseau provided for his bride. A wealthy
Kakhyen pays for his wife a female slave, ten
buffaloes, ten spears, ten dahs, ten pieces of silver, a
gong, two suits of clothes, a matchlock, and an iron
cooking pot. He also presents clothes and silver to
the bridesmaids, and defrays the expense of the feast.
Meanwhile the toomsa, or officiating priest, has ar-
ranged bunches of fresh grass, pressed down with bam-
boos at regular intervals, so as to form a carpet between
the canopy and the bridegroom's house. The house-
hold nats are then invoked, and a libation of sheroo
and water poured out. Fowls, &c. are then killed, and

142 THE KAKHYENS.

their blood is sprinkled on the grass path, over which
the bride and her attendants pass to the house, and
offer boiled eggs, ginger, and dried fish to the house-
hold deities. This concludes the ceremony, in which
the bridegroom takes no part. A grand feast follows.
Besides the ordinary fare of rice, plantains, and. dried
fish and pork, the beef of the sacrificed buffalo and
the venison of the barking deer, all cooked in large
iron pots, imported from Yunnan, are the viands.
Abundant supplies of sheroo and Chinese samshu
prepare the guests for the dance.

The orchestra consists of a drum formed of a
hollowed tree stem, covered at both ends with the
skin of the barking deer, a sort of jews-harp • of
bamboo, which gives a very clear, almost metallic,
tone, and a single or double flute, with a piece of
metal inside a long slit, which the performer covers
with his mouth. He also accompanies the strain with
a peculiar whirring noise, produced in his throat.
The marriage feast ends, like all their festivities, in
great dri;nkenness, disorder, and often in a fight.

Breach of promise is made a cause of feud, the
friends of the aggrieved fair one making it a point
of honour to attack the village of the offender. The
curious custom obtains that a widow becomes the
wife of the senior brother-in-law, even though he be
already married. The day after the birth of a child,
the households nats are propitiated by offerings of
sheroo and the sacrifice of a hog. The flesh is divided
into three portions, one for the toomsa, another for

BIRTHS AND PUNEEALS. 143

the slayer and cook, and the third for the head of
the household. The entrails, with eggs, fish, and
ginger, are placed on the altars, all the villagers are
bidden to a feast, and sheroo is handed round in
order of seniority. After all have drunk, the -oldest
man rises and, pointing to the infant, says, " That
boy, or girl, is named so and so." When a Kakhyen
dies, the news is announced by the discharge of
matchlocks. This is a signal for all to repair to the
house of death. Some cut bamboos and timber for
the coffin, others prepare for the funeral rites. A
circle of bamboos is driven into the ground, slanting
outwards, so that the upper circle is much wider
than the base. To each a small flag is fastened, grass
is placed between this circle and the house, and
the toomsa scatters grass over the bamboos, and
pours a libation of sheroo. A hog is then slaughtered,
and the flesh cooked and distributed, the skull being
fixed on one of the bamboos. The coflin is made of
the hollowed trunk of a large tree, which the men
fell with their dahs. Just before it falls, a fowl is
killed by being dashed against the tottering stem.
The place where the head is to rest is blackened with
charcoal, and a lid constructed. The body is washed
by men or matrons, according to sex, and dressed
in new clothes. Some of the pork, boiled rice, and
sheroo, are placed before it, and a piece of silver is in-
serted in the mouth to pay ferry dues over the streams
the spirit may have to cross. It is then coffined
and borne to the grave amidst the discharge of fire-

144 THE KAKHYENS.

arms. The grave is about three feet deep, and three
pieces of wood are laid to support the coffin, which
is covered with branches of trees before the earth is
filled in. The old clothes of the deceased are laid
on the mound, and sheroo is poured on it, the rest
being drunk by the friends around it. In returning,
the mourners strew ground rice along the path, and
when near the village, they cleanse their legs and
arms with fresh leaves. Before re-entering the house,
all are lustrated with water by the toomsa with
an asperge of grass, and pass over a bundle of grass
sprinkled with the blood of a fowl sacrificed during
their absence to the spirit of the dead. Eating and
drinking wind up the day. Next morning an offer-
ing of a hog and sheroo is made to the spirit of the
dead man, and a feast and dance are held till late
at night, and resumed in the morning. A final
sacrifice of a buffalo in honour of the household nats
then takes place, and the toomsa breaks down the
bamboo fence, after which the final death dance*
successfully drives forth the spirit, which is believed
to have been still lingering round its former dwell-
ing. In the afternoon a trench is dug round the
grave, and the conical cover already described is
erected, the skulls of the hog and buffalo being
affixed to the posts.

The bodies of those who have been killed by shot or
steel are wrapped in a mat and buried in the jungle
without any rites. A small open hut is erected
* See supi-a, page 77.

FUNEEAL EITES. 145

over the spot for the use of the spirits, for whom
also a dah, bag, and basket are placed. These
spirits are believed to haunt the forests as munla,
like the Burman tuhsais, or ghosts, and to have the
power of entering into men and imparting a second
sight of deeds of violence. Funeral rites are also
denied to those who die of smallpox and to women
dying in child-birth. In the latter case, the mother
and her unborn child are believed to become a fearful
compound vampyre. All the young people fly in
terror from the house, and divination is resorted to,
to discover what animal the evil spirit will devour,
and another with which it will transmigrate. The
first is sacrificed, and some of the flesh placed before
the corpse ; the second is hanged, and a grave dug
in the direction to which the animal's head pointed
when dead. Here the corpse is buried with all the
clothes and ornaments worn in life, and a wisp of
straw is burned on its face, before the leaves and
earth are filled in. All property of the deceased is
burned on the grave, aiid a hut erected over it.
The death dance takes place, to drive the spirit from
the house, in all cases. The former custom appears
to have been to burn the body itself, with the house
and all the clothes and ornaments used by the
deceased. This also took place if the mother died
during the month succeeding child-birth, and, accord-
ing to one native statement, the infant also was
thrown into the fire, with the address, " Take away
your child ;" but if previously any one claimed the

146 THE KAEHYENS.

child, saying, " Grive me your child," it was spared,
and belonged to the adopting parent, the real father
being unable at any time to reclaim it.

These ceremonies show the character of the re-
ligion of the people. Hemmed in as they are by-
Buddhist populations, they adhere to the ancient
form of worship of good and evil spirits. The
French missionaries have been unable to produce
any effect upon them. A vague idea of a Supreme
Being exists among them, as they speak of a nat in
the form of a man named Shingrawah, who created
everything. They do not worship, but reverence
him, " because he is very big." As their funeral
rites show, they believe in a future existence.
Tsojah is the abode of good men; and those who
die violent deaths, and bad characters generally, go
to Marai. To questions as to the place and con-
ditions of these, an intelligent Kakhyen answered,
" How can I tell ? no one knows anything."

The objects of worship are the nats benign or
malignant ; the first such as Sinlah, the sky spirit,
who gives rain and good crops ; Chan and Shitah,
who cause the sun and moon to rise. These they
worship, " because their fathers did so, and told their
children that they were good." Gringwan is the
beneficent patron of agriculture, but the malignant
nats must be bribed not to ruin the crops. When
the ground is cleared for sowing, Masoo is appeased
with pork and fowls, buried at the foot of the village
altars ; when the paddy is eared, buffaloes and pigs

EELIGION. 147

are sacrificed to Cajat. A man about to travel is
placed under the care of Muron, the toomsa, after
due sacrifices, requesting him to " tell the other
nats not to harm that man."

Neglect of Mowlain will result in the want of
compraw, or silver, the great object of a Kakhyen's
desire, and if hunters forbear offerings to Ohitong,
some one will be killed by stag or tiger. Chitong
and Muron are two of ten brothers, who have an
especial interest in Kakhyen affairs, and another
named Phee is the guardian of the night. Every
hill, forest, and stream, has its own nat of greater
or less power ; every accident or illness is the work
of some malignant or vindictive one of " these view-
less ministers." To discover who may be the par-
ticular nat, or how he is to be appeased, is the
business of the toomsa. He prescribes and assists
in all sacrifices, and calls the nats to receive their
share, which with economical piety generally consists
of the offal. The extraordinary method of consulting
the will of the nats by a possessed medium has been
already described. The meetway is distinct from a
toomsa, or regular priest, but there is no sacerdotal
caste, the succession being kept up by a natural
selection and apprenticeship. The village toomsa
practises augury from fowl bones, omens, and the
fracture of burned nul grass, besides holding com-
munication with the spirit world. Besides the occa-
sional sacrifices, at seed-time a solemn sacrifice is
offered to Ngka, the earth spirit. In this the whole

L 2

148 THE KAKHYENS.

community participates, and the next four days are
observed as a strict sabbath, no work or journey
being undertaken.

At harvest-time Sharoowa and his wife are wor-
shipped in a similar manner by the chief and
villagers. All animals sacrificed must be males, but
a woman's dress and ornaments are offered to the
female nat. The namsyang, or tutelary nats of
the village, are also husband and wife ; he ruling the
western and she the eastern portion ; they are vene-
rated twice a year with other nats by the tsawbwa.
All the people repair to the head village, and the
chief offers buffaloes, &c., and a grand feast is held.
The skulls of the animals offered and eaten are aflSxed
to the tsawbwa' s house, where they remain as
memorials of his piety and hospitality.

These recurring seasons of seed-time in May and
June and harvest- time in December seemed to us to
be the only divisions of time known to these moun-
taineers, but they were said to have a succession of
months.*

The language of the Kakhyens is monosyllabic, and
is spoken in an ascending tone, every sentence end-
ing in a long-di'awn " ee," in a higher key, thus —
"Chingpaw poong-doon tan-key-ing eeeV " Do the
Kakhyens dance?" Monsig. Bigandet says: "It is the

* At a later visit the tsawbwa of Mattin declared the year
1874 to be the Kakhyen year 1320 ; and the following list of
monthR was given to Pere Lecomte :— (February) Ka, Wot, Shila,
Cheetung, Shenan, Shimerray, Kopes-Lay, Kopetang, Eala, Majea,
Mahah, Hro (January).

LANGUAGE AND CHARACTER. 149

same as used by all the Singpho tribes, and bears a
great resemblance to that of the Abors and Mishmees,
and other tribes of the south-western spurs of the
Himalayas. The pronunciation is soft and easy, and
the construction of sentences simple and direct as in
English. It is totally different from the Burmese,
and belongs to a completely different group." We
found very few that could speak Burmese, except the
Ponline and other chiefs bordering the plain; but
almost all the chiefs both north and south of the
Tapeng, and many of their clansmen, could speak
Chinese, and a few, such as the chiefs of Mattin,
Seray, &c., could write Chinese ; but the Kakhyens
possess no written characters of their own.

As warriors the Kakhyens cannot be ranked high.
Quarrelsome and revengeful as they are, prone to
exact atonement for a wrong or feud to the last,
their attacks are always made stealthily, and gene-
rally at night — they may be said to crouch and
spring like the tiger. As hunters, so far as we
could learn, they are not very daring, but our
opportunities of observation were limited, and the
hills about Ponsee did not seem to contain much
animal life. Their chief quarry is the barking
deer, but leopards and porcupines are said to be
sometimes found, and wild elephants were reported
as occasional visitors. The fierce and pugnacious
bamboo rat is esteemed a dainty and valuable
prize. The young lads set ingenious traps for
jungle fowl and pheasants. A miniature fence of

150 THE KAKHYENS.

the stems of tall jungle grass is constructed down
the hillside for two hundred feet, through which
little runs are opened. At each a pliable bamboo is
firmly fixed at one end, while the other is lightly
fastened to the ground. A noose fixed to this end
snares the birds, which are hoisted in the air like
moles in the familiar trap. We also observed boys
liming small birds in an ingenious manner, with a
bird-lime obtained from the root of some plant. This
was smeared on the prongs of a wooden trident fixed
in a bamboo handle, which was hidden in the jungle
bordering a path. On a cord across the trident, a
number of ants were so fixed that they could move
their wings ; the constant flutter allured the birds
to perch on the trident and be caught. The small
boys were stimulated in the pursuit of " small
deer " and all sorts of birds by the rewards given
for any specimens. The collection and preservation
of all manner of living things was a constant
source of wonder to the Kakhyens, as well as of
gain. Even the young tsawbwa caught the in-
fection, and, moved either by greed or gratitude
for medical help, brought in a young example of
a red-faced monkey, closely allied to Macacus
tibetanus (Milne-Edwards).

It will be evident that they are a perfectly^wLld
race of mountaineers, supplying themselves with most
of the necessaries of life by rude cultivation. They
are altogether dependent on their neighbours for salt
and dried fish; and as their own scanty crops furnish

'yJ '

THEIR CHARACTER. 151

Jittle superfluity, their great object is to obtain
compraw, wherewith to purchase what they need.
They rear no animals but pigs ; and the bufi'aloes they '
own have been stolen frpm the plains. This habit
of "cattle-lifting" causes them to be regarded as
natural outlaws by the Burmese ; hence , the constant
state of hostility and reprisals on both sides. Since
the time of our visit the mountaineers have been
better treated at Bhamo, and a zayat has been erected
for their use outside the stockade, besides one built
for them near the British Residency ; but no Kakhyen
can enter or leave the town without a pass, for which
he has to pay toll, this licence-duty being farmed
by residents in Bhamo./ It must be owned that,
whether their character has been deteriorated by
knavish injustice on the part of Chinese traders, or
high-handed extortion and wrong on the part of
Burmese, they are at the present time lazy, thievish,
and untrustworthy.n Their savage curiosity leads
them to pry into every package entrusted to
them. During the return journey all the collecting-
boxes were opened, and every specimen unrolled and
examined, with what results of utter confusion may
be imagined. They consider themselves entitled to
levy black-mail on all passing through their districts,
and each petty chief tries to represent himself as an
independent tsawbwa, with a full control of the
portion of route near his village.

As any mission or trade-convoy must, however, pass
through their hills, and strong^ and impartial justice

152 THE KAKHYENS.

should characterise all our relations with them, it will
not be thought presumption to suggest what appears
to be the best and fairest method of dealing with them.
It is thoroughly well established that the Kakhyens
themselves possess no mules, or at least so few as to
be insufficient for the carriage of any large amount
of baggage or goods. /When the chiefs have been
employed to procure mules, .they .hire them from the
Shans, acting thus as middle-men, and in our case
making an exorbitant profit. ' ] Their incurable habits
of pilfering and meddling curiosity render them
unfit to be employed as porters. All beasts of
burden, and coolies, if required, should be procured
either in Burma or by direct agents, hiring them in
the Shan districts subject to China ; in the latter case
no payments iu advance should be made, ^he chiefs
of the Kakhyens occupying the portion of the route
lying within the Burmese frontier line should be
summoned to Bhamo by the Burmese authorities at
the instance of the British Resident, and, a proper
sum, in recognition of their territorial dues, being-
fixed, should be informed that this will be paid at
the Residency on the safe passage through their
territory being accomplished and certified._^ A similar
course can be pursued by communication with the
Chinese authorities with regard to those who live
within the Chinese frontier. The duties to be
performed by the chiefs should be limited to gua-
ranteeing an undisturbed passage, and providing
such accommodation or supplies as may be required.

HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM. 153

With regard to provision for an open trade-route, a

fair tariff should be fixed upon : this has been done

by the Chinese, and could be accomplished by the

Burmese also. The mountain chiefs may then be

required to keep the roads open and in repair, and

to suppress any attempt at brigandage, on^pain^of

being fined, and otherwise punished. It must be

remarked, however, with all deference to the political

branch of our service, that one cannot help thinking

that it will be needful in all cases that our Eesidents

should not issue independent summonses and orders

to the hill chiefs. The ill-feeling of the Burmese

has not unnaturally been excited by British officers

dealing, independently of the "Woon, with the chiefs,

nominally at least, subordinate to him as the officer

of the king of Burma. It is surely incumbent on

the British Resident in the town of an independent

foreign power to co-operate with and recognise the

local authorities, and cultivate an entente cordiale

vv^ith them. If this policy be systematically observed,

the Burmese will be most fairly and properly held

responsible for the conduct of the chiefs whom

they claim to be dependent on their authority, and

who have accepted titles and insignia from the king

of Burma. /Jt may seem fanciful to suggest ways

and means of removing the difficulties of the route

for a future trade ; but the passage of a mission, or

of future explorers of the interesting country beyond

the Kakhyen hills, will be only thus made possible.

The arrangements must be made with the Burmese

and the Chinese; the Kakhyens, being only re-

154 THE KAKHYENS.

garded as outlying people, paid their dues, not from
fear, but from generous justice ; while they are
sternly repressed, and taught their own insignificance
and almost inutility. These remarks may seem an
example of shutting the door after the steed is stolen ;
but if the plan proposed widely differs from that
pursued by our expedition, let it be remembered
that we were pioneers in an unknown country, feel-
ing our way through tribes and populations, the
poHtical relations of which were at that time as little
known as were the physical difficulties of the route
we had been commissioned to explore through their
midst.

These observations are the result of the experience
gained in the course of this first attempt, and the
opinions then formed have been confirmed on a more
recent occasion, when it was not in my power to
make any practical application of the knowledge of
the ways and habits of the mountaineers which had
been formerly gained.

If the reader is somewhat tired of the Kakhyens,
he can better understand the wearisome and anxious
time passed by us at Ponsee, as all through April
we alternately hoped and despaired of escaping froni
our open-air prison. At the end of that time our
party was reduced in numbers by the departure of
Williams and Stewart, who acted upon the circular
already mentioned as issued by the leader of the
mission. They started, under the guidance of
Moimg Mo, on April 29th, and reached Bhamo
without delay or difficulty.

ARRIVAL OF SHAN EEPEESENTATIVES. 155

CHAPTEE VI.

MANWYNE TO MOMIEN,

Departure from Ponsee — Valley of the Tapeng — A curious crowd —
Our khyouBg — Matins — The town of Manwyne — Visit to the haw

— The tsawbwa-gadaw — An armed demonstration — Karahokah

— Sanda' — The cliief and his grandson — Muangla — Shan burial-
grounds— The Taho — A murdered traveller — Ma wphoo valley —
Muangtee — Nantin — Valley of Nantin — The hot springs — At-
tacked by Chinese — Hawshuenshan volcano — Valley of Momien

— Arrival at the city.

After various reports and interchange of letters
between ourselves and the Panthays, tending to
the removal of any doubts in the minds of the
latter, we learned that the representatives of the
Shan states had come to Manwyne. A slight hint
of the unchanged ill-feeling of the Bhamo people
was given in the imprisonment of Moung Mo, who
had acted as guide to Williams and Stewart ; a
vigorous remonstrance, however, forwarded to the
Woon, was followed by his liberation and return to
the camp.

On the 8th of May, the Shan representatives
arrived. /JThe appearance of these fair, civilised,
intelligent men, dressed in dark blue from shoe to

156 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

turban, was a great reliefj They assured us that we
might go forward, and disowned having entertained
any hostile feeHng. Men were sent to Manwyne to
bring mules, and our departure for that town on
the next day but one was resolved on.

It was amusing to see the pawmine acting as
cicerone, and exhibiting the wonders of our camp
furniture to the inquiring Shans. They complained
bitterly of the unsettled state of the country, and
declared that our presence had already contributed
to restore order. /One of their complaints was that
they could not trade with Bhamo on account of the
extortion and plunder practised by the jWooh and his
people on the traders resorting thithe£7

The Ponsee pawmines were on their best be-
haviour, and even the vexed question of the mule
hire was at last settled. The tsawbwa declared
that every man, woman, and child, was the better
for our stay, and entreated us to favour him by
choosing this as the return route, and to make what
use we liked of him.

The Shans came down very early on the morning
of May 11th to announce that sufficient mules had
arrived. We packed up with right good will, and at
eight o'clock the mules actually appeared. At the last
moment, " Death's Head " pawmine attempted to
create a disturbance about a photograph taken of
his house. He declared his wife and son had been sick
ever since, and that the photographer had bewitched
them, in revenge for his having stolen our cow.

K^i c^-(

DEPAETUEE PEOM PONSEB. 157

Another pawmine demanded a toll of two rupees
per mule, and threatened an embargo. This was too'^i^vi.
much. 1^ short and sharp refusal, emphasized by a ; ,ji -
fevolve!r, acted J.ike magic, and the pawmines sneaked
ofF, thoroughly crestfallen';'!

At half past eleven we started from the scene of
our long detention. Scarcity of mules compelled us
to leave our tents behind, and trust for future shelter
to the hospitality of the townspeople en route.

The road was tolerably level for a mile or so, as
far as Kingdoung, whence a steep descent led to a
comparatively flat glen, closed in by hills on all
sides but one, covered with flooded rice terraces,
while here and there the ground was being broken
up by men and boys with large hoes.

The steep descent to this alluvial hollow could be
easily avoided by a road skirting a spur to the east,
sloping down to the Tapeng. Here numerous small
streams drain into the Tapeng, from both south and
north, the largest of which is called the Thamo.
From the north-eastern Watershed, we obtained a
fine view of the Tapeng valley, stretching away to
the east-north-east, and then descended to the level
of the river by a gradual slope, over rounded grassy
hills and dried-up watercourses. On the way we
were met by the tsawbwa-gadaw of Muang-gan, ac-
companied by a bevy of damsels offering cooked rice,
fresh sheroo, and flowers. After a short halt for re-
freshment and friendly talk with the old lady, whose
hospitality was dn\y rewarded with beads, we pro-

it

158 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

ceeded over a fair road six feet broad. From
an eminence we viewed the Tapeng entering the
hills through a narrow gloomy gorge, which
swallowed up the broad placid stream," descending
from the north-east between low white sandy banks.
Looking up the river, the level valley stretched away,
till in the far distance the border ranges, three or four
miles apart in the foreground, seemed almost to meet.
These defining mountains rose three thousand feet,
and others of still greater height towered in the
background, while a loftier range, running almost
at right angles to them, crowned the far horizon.
The level ground on either side of the river was
parcelled out into innumerable rice fields, which,
with the numerous villages situated on the higher
undulations amid clumps of bamboo and fruit trees,
attested the presence of a numerous and industrious
population. The exposed reaches of sand within the
river banks suggested heavy floods during the wet
season ; but at this period the water was drawn off
by many canals, and glistened in little lakes, from
which the green blades of the young rice crop were
just raising their heads. The gentle slopes running
up to the base of the hills and the lower hillsides
afforded rich pasture to large herds of cattle and
buffaloes. At the various villages large crowds of
Shans and Chinese were gathered, awaiting the
strangers. At one of some importance, mats were
laid out for us under the trees, and we were
challenged by the officials of Manwyne, who ad-

A CUEIOUS CEO WD. 159

dressed our leader somewhat to this effect : " You
say you are a man of authority, therefore we allow
you to pass." It was not etiquette to take any notice
of them, and mounting their ponies, they fell into
the rear of the cavalcade, with a crowd of boys
behind them. Outside Manwyne itself a dense
crowd of men, women, and children surrounded
our baggage, which had been unloaded pell-mell on
a stretch of sand where we were expected to encamp.
No sooner had we dismounted than the crowd
pressed around. uThey appeared by no means
friendly, and the Chinese especially jeered and
hooted, anTone fellow had the impudence; to feel the
texture of the beard of one of our party. A more
inquisitive set of sightseers it is impossible to con-
ceive, and for some time they regularly blockaded
us, almost to suffocation. While impatiently waiting
for the officials in the full blaze of the afternoon sun,
both parties found ample interest in surveying each
other. To us the first sight of the peculiar but
picturesque dress of the good-looking Shan women
was probably as attractive as our physiognomies and
attire seemed to be to the natives. The head-dress
was a long blue turban, curled in crescent-shaped
folds with neat precision, towering nearly a foot
above the head, and inclined backwards in an in-
verted cone, displaying the back of the head adorned
with lai'ge silver discs. Add to this, neat little white
or blue jackets slashed with red, fastened with ena-
melled silver brooches, and exposing plump little

<^

160 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

arms adorned with heavy silver bracelets, blue
petticoats with deeply embroidered silken borders,
fanciful gaiters, and blue shoes, and the reader can
imagine that the curious crowd of Manwyne was
picturesque.

There was a good sprinkling of Chinese women
with dwarfed feet, but they were much more poorly
clad than the prosperous-looking Shans.

The men, Shan and Chinese, were all dressed in
dark blue jackets and trousers, the Shans being dis-
tinguished by blue turbans with the pigtail wound
into their coils, while the Chinese wore skull-caps.
Almost all carried long-stemmed pipes. After some
delay and expostulation with the headmen, we were
inducted into a Buddhist khyoung or temple, standing
in a separate courtyard just within the town, but
entered through a gate of its own in the town wall.
It was a low square building, facing the river, built
partly of bricks and partly of wood, on a rubble
foundation, and roofed with fired tiles.

It had two roofs, the upper in itself somewhat
like a smaller khyoung perched on the top of the
larger, with two latticed windows in each of its
curved sides, and borne up by strong teak pillars.
At either end two wooden partitions shut off the
cells of the priests and their pupils. A kitchen in one
corner completed the domestic arrangements, unless
we may include two or three new coffins, and materials
for more, piled ready in one corner of the verandah.
A long table was covered with models of pagodas,

OUE KHYOUNG. 161

enclosing seated figures of Graudama, one principal
Buddha occupying the centre, with an umbrella sus-
pended over his head. This seemed to serve as an
altar, on which two large candles were placed during
the evening prayers, intoned with bell accom-
paniments, strongly reminding us of the Catholic
mass. In the verandah three square niches faced
this altar, one containing the image of a horse.

As soon as we had taken up our quarters, the
temple was thronged inside and out by a curious
crowd, who favoured us^with their presence till we
retired for the night. |__The ill-feeling of certain of
the Chinese inhabitants was so dreaded by the
headmen that an armed Shan giiard was stationed
round the khyoung, in addition to our own police
sentries, who were request^dby the authorities to
be on the alert^gainstan^tack. |

In the early morning the matin bell and chanting
awoke us to find the apartment filled with precise
old matrons and buxom Shan girls busy at their
devotions. Each carried a little basket filled with
rice, and a few brought offerings of flowers. As
they entered, they first knelt in front of the principal
Buddha, but did not venture on the raised platform.
After a short prayer, they turned to the niche con-
taining the horse, before which they repeated a prayer
standing, and then deposited an offering of cooked
rice in front of the quadruped. We next became
the objects of their attention, but they were too
timid to give us much of it on the first occasion.

M

162 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

After the priests had finished their prayers, all the
women arranged themselves in a row outside the
khyoung. Presently the burly chief priest, draped
in yellow, appeared. With downcast eyes and grave
face he walked slowly down the line, holding a
large bowl, in which each placed an offering of
cooked rice. This done, the congregation dispersed
to their homes.

This practice of the phoongyees gathering their
daily food from the worshippers, instead of begging
it from house to house, patta, or alms-bowl, in hand,
is an instance of the unorthodox laxity prevailing
among the Shan Buddhists.

A delay of two days was made necessary by con-
sultations as to the route to be followed. The choice
lay between crossing the river into the Muangla
territory, or continuing along the right bank,
through the Sanda state, to the town of that name.
The latter was finally decided on, despite the opposi-
tion of a Muangla deputy named Kingain.
/ The town of Manwyne, or Manyen, was itself for-
merly a dependency of Sanda, but had been ceded to
one of the Muangla family as the dowry of a Sanda
princess.^ It is surrounded by a low wall of sun-dried
bricks, raised on a lower course of rough stones. The
population of Shans and Chinese might be reckoned
at seven hundred, and the district contains about
five thousand. At this time numerous fugitives
from the more disturbed districts had taken refuge
there, the war not having extended so far down th^

THE TOWN OF MANWYNE. 163

valley. LThe people, though prosperous, were lawless :^^/ ( '■ ''^

and independent, the nominal authority of the
dowager tsawbwa-gadaw, or princess, being little
regarded, and the Chinese power being in abeyance.
We visited the bazaar held every morning outside
the wall. The vendors were mostly girls, each
sitting in front of a small basket, supporting a tray
on which her stock was laid out. The eatables com-
prised a curious curd-like paste made from peas and
beans, and in great request ; peas which had sprouted,
beans, onions, and various wild plums, cherries, and
berries, while maize, rice, and barley, and several
sorts of tobacco, were also on sale. One end of the
bazaar was devoted to unbleached home-made cotton
cloth, with a small stock of English piece goods, and
red and green broadcloth.

Many Kakhyens, chiefly young women, were
present, with firewood and short deal planks for sale,
and we were struck by the perfect freedom enjoyed
by these people as contrasted with their treatment
in Burmese territory. The town gate led into a filthy
narrow street, or rather lane, about nine feet wide.
It was paved with boulders, and bordered on either
side by a deep open gutter close under the windows,
and alive with swine. The one-storied houses were
built of bricks, with one room opening on the street,
the sill of the open window serving as a counter,,
mainly for the sale of pork. This was the Chinese
quarter ; beyond it lay the clean Shan division, every
house detached and surrounded by a neat little court-

M 2

P-

1C4 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

yard, with ponies, buffaloes, and implements, housed
under substantial sheds. A few villages formed, as it
were, suburbs of the so-called town, each enclosed in
its bamboo fence, and intersected by narrow railed
paths. None of the houses were raised on piles, as in
Burma ; the better sort were built of bricks and
tiled, and the smaller ones were mere mud hovels.
In one village we saw a man cutting tobacco for the
use of the ladies, and were politely invited to be
seated while we were instructed in the art of the
tobacconist. The fresh leaves rolled firmly together
were pushed through a circular hole in a wooden
upright, and thin slices rapidly cut off; these are
only partially dried and smoked while still green.
Some was brought to fill the visitors' pipes, and for
half an hour we sat chatting to these homely Shans.
Returning to the khyoung, we found it crowded
with numerous patients, all entreating medical aid.
The poor people were intensely grateful, though some
of the old and infirm seemed to expect miracles, and
went away evidently doubting the will, rather than
the power, of the physician.

During this time our leader had been busily engaged
adjusting the division of three hundred rupees among
the Kakhyen pawmines ; they were most demonstra-
tive in their expressions of friendship, and urgently
pressed us to confide ourselves to their escort on the
return route. Presents were also distributed to the
headmen of the town, and those of Sanda and
Muangla, and the officials escorted us on a visit of

VISIT TO THE HAW. 165

ceremony to the tsawbwa-gadaw.^Her hav:, or palace,
built in the Chinese style of telescopic courtyards, ''
formed an enclosure in the centre of the town. [ We
passed through two courtyards, the sides of the outer
one forming the stables, and those of the inner one the
kitchen and servants' rooms, with the residence filling
up the end. The entrance from the first to the second
court formed a waiting-room, where a bench covered
with silken draperies had been placed. After a few
minutes we were invited to proceed through the
second court to the house, which was raised about
three feet from the ground, with an open reception
hall, apparently off a third court, containing the
private apartments. The reception court was laid out
with flowers, dwarf yews, and a vine trained over a
trellis. High-backed chairs with red cushions were
set out, /and presently the dowager appeared from
her apartment, accompanied by some white-robed
Buddhist nuns, or ralmnees, and attended by three [/'
maids. One of the nuns was her daughter ;^he others
had visited Eangoon, as pilgrims^ to the.g;reat.p.agQda,
and brought back strong impressions of the excellence
of British rule -Iboth in Manwyne and elsewhere these
pious ladies subsequently did good service by spread-
ing favourable reports of the English visitors.

But we are forgetting the tsawbwa-gadaw. She was
a stout little woman of fifty summers, of quiet self-
possessed carriage. Above her round fair face towered
a huge blue turban eighteen inches in height. Her
costume consisted of a white jacket fastened with

166 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

large square enamelled silver clasps, and a blue petti-
coat with riclily embroidered silken border and broad
silken stripes ; her leggings and shoes were also
covered with exquisite embroidery. She entered
smoking a long silver-stemmed pipe, and received us
with pleasant affability. /Sladen held a long con-
versation with her concerning the mission, and she
greatly rejoiced in the prospect of reopeningBuimese
trade, and promised her hearty support!/ Small cups
of bitter tea, and saucers furnished with all requisites
for betel-chewing, were handed round, the style ^f
ev^ything being thoroughly,^ Chinese, and we took
our leave, having evidently won her esteem.

The next morning. May 13th, the entire population
of the neighbourhood assembled to see the visitors
depart. The fair ones were in their holiday attire,
their head-dresses decorated with sweet-smelling
flowers. Many parting presents of these, accompanied
with good-natured nods and smiles and kind wishes,
were bestowed on the travellers. Several Shan
officials accompanied us, perched high on huge red-
cloth saddles and padded coverlids heaped on their
small ponies. The route lay along the undulating
right bank of the river, over a tolerable but narrow
track, which crossed the mountain streams flowing
into the Tapeng by substantial granite bridges, built
of long slabs laid side by side, so as to form an exact
semicircular arch.

About four miles from Manwyne, our attention was
called to a number of men who rushed out of a village

AN ARMED DEMONSTRATION. 167

on the opposite bank of the river. Although they
were all armed, and indulged in threatening shouts and
gesticulations, we did not suspect any really hostile
intentions. Presently, however, we found ourselves
exactly opposite to them, when, whiz ! came a bullet,
passing close to Sladen's pony, which plunged
violently. At this they yelled, and fired some more
shots, accompanied by furious brandishing of dahs.
We took no notice, and this apparent indifference
cooled their ardour, and the road, diverging from
the river, soon took us out of sight. The fact that
small but well-armed parties of Shans were posted
at intervals suggested that the officials had expected
an attack.

Beyond this the march to Sanda was an ovation, the
people lining the road, and waving us on with shouts of
Kara! karal "Welcome! welcome!" Most striking
was the panorama of the fertile and populous valley,
with the broad Tapeng winding through it, and the
magnificent wall of mountains towering on either
hand. Village succeeded village, and every available
acre was cultivated, the young rice now rising about
two inches above the water, and tobacco plantations
on the higher ground displaying their delicate verdure.

Halfway between Manwyne and Sanda, the road
passes through Karahokah, the chief Qhinese mar-
ket-town of the valley. The village consists of
two long parallel lines of houses separated by a
broadway, down the centre of which the booths and
stalls are placed on the weekly market-day. It was

168 MANWYNE TO MOMIBN.

full market when we passed, so by advice we went
round outside the village, but the curious crowd
streamed out and nearly closed the road. A striking
feature was added to the landscape by the bright red
soil of the lower spurs jutting out from the higher
range. In contrast to the dense forests above, they
were almost destitute of trees, except at the extreme
points, and clothed as they were with rich short
grass, their strongly marked red and green colouring
completed the unique beauty of the Sanda valley.
At five o'clock p.m. we reached Sanda or Tsandah,
seventy-five miles from Bhamo, and were conducted
to a small temporary Buddhist khyoung built on the
site of one wrecked by the Panthays.

It was little better than a thatched hut, with the
ground for a floor. Here, as in other Shan towns,
a striking difference was observed between the
phoongyees and those seen in Burma. Their huge
yellow turbans, coiled round yellow skull-caps,
stood out each like a solid nimbus or glory. They
wore white jackets and yellow trousers, girdles, and
leggings, and shoes contrary to the precepts of their
religion. Each carried on his back a broad-brimmed
straw hat covered with green oiled silk. Their
profusion of silver ornaments, buttons, rings, and
pipes, [was utterly at variance with the vows of
poverty taken by RahansT]

The town of Sanda, marked on maps as Santa-fu,
occupies the end of a ridge in a northerly bend or bay
of the valley, a mile and a half from the Tapeng.

SANDA. 169

The remains of a thick loopholed wall enclose an
irregular area about six hundred yards square, over
which are scattered eight hundred to one thousand
houses, with a population of four to five thousand.
We saw neither towers, pagodas, nor public
buildings, save in ruins, excepting the tsawbwa's
liouserj The Panthays stormed the town in 1863,
and the ruined defences and buildings had not yet
been restored. Indeed the dejected and poverty-
stricken inhabitants had only partially repaired
their own brick-built dwellings.

Four hundred yards from the north-east gate
was the bazaar, a village in itself, inhabited solely by
Chinese, consisting, like Karahokah, of two lines
of houses, the broadway between being closed at
either end by a wall. A Chinese joss house, the
ruins of which showed its former importance, stood
near the entrance. In our wanderings through the
bazaar, we met two women from the hills to the
north of Sanda, of an entirely different race from
Shans, Chinese, or Kakhyens, who called themselves
Leesaws.

The next day was devoted to a ceremonious visit
to the old tsawbwa. We entered his haw, a handsome
structure of blue gneiss, through a triple archway,
and passed through the courtyards,} the_whole build-
ing being arranged on the same plan as the
Manwyne palace, but on a much larger and handsomer
scale. 3 Highbacked Chinese chairs were duly set out
in the vestibule of a building leading directly to

/ / //'f~

170 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

the private apartments, and the courtyard in front
was crowded with the leading townsmen. The
tsawhwa, a frail old man with an intelligent face
and polished manners, was dressed in a long coat
of somhre Shan blue and a black satin skull-cap.
He was nervous and silent, nearly all the talking
being done by his ofiScials, who seemed to be gentle-
men of education and_ consid-erable, jntelligence.
They were unanimous in expressing their hopes that
our mission would result in settling the country and
restoring the trade.' I

The little grandson and heir of the tsawbwa was
brought to be introduced. The old chief evidently
doated on the boy, and made a most urgent request,
that Sladen would consider him as his son. When he
learned that he already possessed a little boy, the
chief exclaimed, " Then lejt^_them be brothers."
(^It appeared that^the ^strologers) in forecasting
the event of our mission, had divined that this
adoption by our leader was essential to the future
welfare of the heir of SandaJ The interview closed
with the_ circulation of tea and betel, and after we
had requested the chiefs acceptance of a handsome
table-cloth and other presents, we took our leave,
but were followed to our quarters by servants of the
tsawbwa bearing supplies of rice, ducks, fowls, and
salted wild geese. The next morning the tsawbwa
made his appearance, accompanied by his grandson,
and bringing presents of a silken quilt and handsome
embroidered Shan pillows. A richly enamelled silver

THE CHIEF AND HIS GEANDSON. 171

pipe stem was given to Sladen in the name of
his newly adopted son, for whom the grandfather
earnestly besought his affection and care. At his
request it was arranged that in leaving the town
we should pass in front of the tsawbwa's house. As
the cavalcade neared the gates of the enclosure, two
trumpeters stationed there blew a lusty flourish on
their long brass trumpets. The chief himself stood
on the steps, shaded by two large umbrellas, one a
gold cliatta and the other red, with heavy fringes.
His chief men surrounded him, and the little grandson
was held in the arms of an attendant. "We dis-
mounted to shake hands, which rather puzzled the
chief. After a cordial parting, a salute of three guns
was fired, and the trumpeters preceded us, blowing
sonorous blasts till we passed through the south-
eastern gate.

The road followed the embankments of the paddy
fields, across the entrance to the high steep glen
down which flows the Nam-Sanda stream, which
was forded. A low red spur from the north-west
range, nearly meeting another from the opposite
range, here confines the Tapeng to a narrow deep
channel, and divides the valley into two basins, one
of Sanda and the other of Muangla. Having crossed
this spur, we forded a small stream, which was
quite warm, from its being fed by the hot springs
of Sanda. The Muangla valley is a repetition of
that of Sanda, with the same direction, and flanked
by similar parallel heights, until the head of the

172 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

basin is reached. There the valley, as it were,
bifurcates : down the northerly division, the main
stream of the Tpeng flows from the north-east
through a fine valley, shut off from the Muangla
basin by an intervening range of grassy hills. A
large affluent, called the Tah8, or by the Chinese
Sen-cha-ho, comes down from the east-north-east,
between the high hills which appeared to bound the
valley before us, but, opening farther on, enclose the
valley of Nantin.

Numerous villages were passed, the inhabitants
of which gave us a most hearty welcome. Near
the head , or fork, of the valley, the Tapeng, even now
a hundred yards wide, runs nearly across it, from one
side to the other. We forded it at a village called
Tamon, where a large bazaar was being held.
Having crossed a slightly elevated flat peninsula
on the left bank, and above the junction of the rivers,
covered with charming villages embowered in high
trees and splendid bamboo topes, we came to the
Taho flowing in broken streams in an old channel,
a mile wide, between lofty banks. A great portion
of the level ground is covered with rice fields, for the
irrigation of which the streams are diverted.

A very neat bamboo pavilion had been erected for
us on the high bank overlooking the Taho, and after
a rest, we crossed the channel to Muangla, which
was visible on the opposite side, below a range of
low red hills. We ascended the old river bank, and
passed through the southern gateway, screened by a

MUANGLA. 173

brick .traverse, into a short broad street closed by a " '^'
stone wall, l Here we were conducted to a ruined ' '^'c
Chinese templeTlwhich had been hastily repaired for
our occupancy, and were speedily invested by a
crowd of curious folk, who seemed never satiated
with staring.

Muangla, or Mynela, nearly ninety miles from
Bhamo, stands on a high slope on the left bank
of the Tapeng, enclosed by a brick wall nine
feet high, with numerous loopholes and occasional
guard-houses. The wall, with its six strong gate-
ways, protected by traverses, appeared to be in
much better condition than that of Sanda. With the
exception of the broad bazaar street, the various road-
ways were mere lanes paved with boulders. The
population within the walls could not exceed two
thousand, which might be doubled by the addition of
the large suburban villages close to the town. cDne
of these contained the remains of some handsome
Chinese temples, destroyed by the iconoclastic
Panthaysj, One temple, built in a picturesque series
of terraces, still retained evidence of its former gran-
deur in elaborate carving and colouring, a number of
life-sized figures, and a large sweet-toned bell on the
highest terrace. In still another, one of the courts
contained a symbolic representation of the passage of
souls into the future life. A miniature bridge with
many passengers was depicted, guarded by two
human forms, and spanning a miry hollow. In
the latter, human beings were being tortured by mon-

174 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

stroTis dogs and serpents. Some of the passengers
were represented being thrown from the bridge into
this abyss; others had passed to Elysium, or
Neibban, on the further bank. In another recess
stood a low square hollow pillar with an opening on
one side, facing a structure resembling a small brick
stove with a chimney-like orifice, over which, as
issuing from it, were depicted men and animals. This
seemed intended to figure the transmigrations of the
soul in the whirlpool of existences, from which every
good Buddhist desires to escape into Neibban.

Close to the town, but out of sight of the buildings,
we came upon the burial-ground of the tsawbwas,
overlooking a desolate sea of hills. Over handsome
horseshoe tombs with broad terraces and lofty portals
of well-hewn gneiss, a few scattered pines stood
sentinels. In the common graveyard, between the
town and the junction of the river, as in many others
passed in the valley, the graves are all raised and
rounded as in old churchyards at home, lying to all
points of the compass, with a broad stone slab at the
head, but little care is shown except for the burial-
places of the chiefs, in this particular the Shans
differing altogether from the Chinese.

Viewed from Muangla, the western range of the
valley culminates in a bold precipitous mountain,
frowning above the Tapeng, which comes down
through a narrow gorge between it and the hills
which rise behind the town, and wall the valley of
the Tah6. Above this narrow gorge, the Tapeng

THE TAHO. 175

flows down a broad level valley, from its source
reported to be three days' journey distant. At its
exit from the gorge, it is a quiet deep stream ; at
this spot a boat ferry was plying, and the view
reminded us forcibly of Scottish mountain scenery.
A long deep valley ran along the eastern face of
the opposite hill, dotted on both sides by Kakhyen
and Poloung villages and dark green forest. Its
stream was conveyed across the Tapeng gorge by a
wooden aqueduct, to irrigate the fields on the further
bank. We were warned not to venture far from the
town, so could not explore as much as we wished
and had leisure for. |_A ceremonial visit had been
duly paid on our arrival to the youthful tsawbwa, a
lad of fifteen, who, under the regency of his mother,
governed the extensive district of Muangla, paying
a tribute of five thousand bushels of rice to the
PanthaysTl The officials, who evidently favoured the
old Chinese imperialist regime, demurred to our pro-
ceeding, for fear of the banditti infesting the road
to Mawphoo. [_In this they were supported by the
tsawbwa of Hotha, who joined us here, on his road
to Momien, with a caravan of one hundred and fifty
mules laden with cotton. He was a man of energy
and education, speaking and writing both Shan and
Chinese, j As one of the largest traders between
Bhamo and Momien, he possessed the respect and
confidence of bothShans and Panthays. Sladen
sent letters to the governors of Nantin and Momien,
to which replies were brought on May 21st by our

176 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

missing interpreter, Moung Sliuay Yah, who was
accompanied by three well-dressed and fine-looking
Panthay officers, also by a guard sent to escort us
to Momien.

On the 23rd of May, we left Muangla, and crossed
the muddy flat to the Taho, where the valley con-
tracted to a breadth of scarcely two miles. [Here we
were joined by the Hotha chief with his well-
appointed caravan, but a halt was called, as a report
came in from the front that three hundred Chinese
were ahead ready to attack us. Advancing to
Nahlow, a little further on, a fresh report raised the
numbers of the enemy to five hundred, a;nd_ we,.jsjei;e
pressed to order a volley, which would frightenthem
away ! J At Nahlow the villagers pointed out a hill
a,s the post of the Chinese, who had killed two
men, but careful examination with field-glasses could
detect no signs of the enemy. Some men were now
observed a thousand yards ahead, and the Panthay
officers galloped forward to reconnoitre. The mules
were unloaded, and the villagers brought buckets of
pea curd and fried peas strung on bamboo spathes.
Our scouts having reported all clear, we proceeded
over undulating boggy ground, and descended about
eighty -five feet to the bed of the Taho in a long oval
basin, covered with gravel and boulders, and closed
in on three sides by grassy hills. We presently came
upon a man lying by the stream, with a frightful
gash in his head, and a wound in his chest. vHe
was a poor trader,' who had been attacked^ robbed.

THE MAWPHOO VALLEY. 177

and, as it proved, murdered, for despite our help he
died in a short time. Aa, the head of the valley, a
slippery zigzag path led up the steep face of a great
spur of the Mawphoo mountain, the summit of which
commanded a splendid prospect of the rich valley of
the Tapeng, mantled with green paddy, and of the
wild barren gorge below us. The sides of the pa-
rallel ranges, here a few hundred yards apart, were
marked by large landslips, many of them white as
snow. Our path lay along one which formed a
perpendicular precipice five hundred feet above the
Taho. A high mountain facing Mawphoo was
pointed out as the Shuemuelong, famous in the wars
between Burma and China. From the summit, a
level path turning north-east led us to Mawphoo,
situated at the extremity of a high level basin,
marked by two terraces on the northern side, with
the Taho flowing invisibly in a deep cleft, or ravine,
at the base of the southern hills. At first sight one
is inclined to regard it as an old lake basin, for it is
so closed in by hills that the presence of the river
could not be even suspected by a spectator who had
not previously traced its course.

MawphQQ_,_which was said to have been recently the
stronghold of Li-sieh-tai, was a wretched walled
village in ruins, garrisoned by a few Panthay
soldiers. The crumbling walls and ruins, were over-
grown with weeds and jungle, and it was hard to
believe that this place had been held by an enemy
and stormed only a few weeks before. From this

^t'

178 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

the road skirted the level ground of the valley, but
numerous deep watercourses presented frequent
difEculties, while the rain of the last few_ days had
rendered the path dangerously slippery. -There was
evidence however in the /paved roadway, the
nuinerous substantial stone bridges, and the frequent
ruins of villages, that this must have been ajcon-
siderable highway in peaceful times ; now the whole
country seemed to be a desolate wasteT] For some
miles the heights along the road were manned by
strong Panthay and Kakhyen guards, who carried a
profusion of yellow and white flags, striped with
various colours. All were armed with matchlocks, as
well as spears and tridents mounted on shafts twelve
feet long. Each picquet, as we passed, discharged
their pieces, and then followed in our rear beating
their gongs. At the end of this remarkable valley, we
made a rapid descent to the treeless valley of Nan tin,
which now opened to view curving to the north-
east or rather almost north. At the foot of the
descent, the Taho, which leaves the valley through
a deep rocky gorge, is spanned by an iron chain
suspension bridge, with massive stone buttresses,
and an arched gateway on either bank. The span
is about one hundred feet, and planks laid across
the chains, covered with earth and straw, serve
as a roadway, while one of the chains sweeps
down from the top of the gateway, to serve as a
railing. A small circular fort on an eminence
was garrisoned by a few men, who guarded the

lilHIJHI

MUANGTEE — NANTIN. 179

bridge. We continued along the right bank through
the Nantin valle}^, the sides of which presented
three distinctly marked river terraces, and, having
forded the river, entered the little Shan town of
Muangtee, or Myne-tee, one hundred and eight
miles from Bhamo. The walls were crowded, and
the short narrow street through which we passed
was thronged with women and children. Very few
men were visible, owing, as we were informed, to the
incessant fighting, which had killed off most of the
male population.

A mile beyond we reached the small walled
Chinese town of Nantin, now held by the Panthays.
Two officers on ponies met and conducted us through
the gate to a ruined Chinese temple. \This had once
been a handsome structure, but the walls were
riddled with shot, the images defaced, and broken
open in search of plunder. Nantin itself showed all
the signs of having been once a thriving Chinese
town. Now one-half of it was in ruins, and the
other tenanted by a scanty and miserably poor popu-
lation. By its position on a triangle of land between
the Taho and a swift deep affluent, with the hills
rising close behind it and forming the base line, it
completely commands the main road to Moniien and
Yunnan. (_It was accordingly held by a strong
Panthay force, under a governor bearing the title
of Tu-tu-du.'")

The governor visited us, accompanied by a Chinese
chief named Thong wetshein, who had recently

180 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

joined the Panthay cause. They demanded either a
list of the presents intended for Momien. or permis-
sion to search our baggage, both of which request^
Sladen stoutly refused, and referred them to Momien
for instructions. In the course of the day it came
out that "reports had been circulated that our boxes
contained live dragons and serpents and fearful
explosives. / The fears of the Tu-tu-du were quieted
by a peep at some bottled snakes and frogs, and he
begged us to pay him an official visit. This, he said,
would strengthen his influence over the townspeople,
whom he described as thieves a-nd ruffians. A

A^ veritable J\Iahommedan Hadji' was resident in
the town. Knowing a little Persian and Arabic, he
led the devotions of the faithful, the Musjid being
held in his house. Our jemadar visited it, and de-
scribed it as miserably appointed, without water for
ablutions, and the worship as very lax.

The next day, we set out in state with a guard of
eight sepoys, and preceded by two gold umbrellas.
We passed through the bazaar, a narrow dirty street,
with a double row of stalls, displaying hoes and
ploughs, a little cloth, thread, paper, and eatables,
including almost ripe peaches. *At the residence,
we were received with a salute of three guns ; and
the centre gates being thrown open for our admis-
sion, as a mark of special honour, we rode forward
to the second courtyard.J In the reception room the
governor led us to a raised dais, he himself occu-
pying a low place on a bench at the side of the

THE VALLEY OF NANTIN. 181

room. After a few compliments, he suddenly
vanished, only to reappear in a few minutes in
full mandarin_CQsi]luaa» The explanation was that,
seeing Sladen in full staff imiform, he felt it incum-
bent on him to assume his official robes. Tea in
beautiful porcelain cups and betel-nut were served ;
and Sladen having presented him with a musket and
one hundred and fifty rounds of ammunition, the
governor escorted us to the outer court, and dismissed
us under a salute of three guns.

Instructions having come from Momien that we
were to proceed without delay, we started the next
morning. The Panthay garrison lined the street, and
at a neat stone bridge spanning a burn which runs
through the town the governor and Thongwetshein
with their staff awaited us to say farewell, while the
band struck up a lively air on the gongs. ( A guard
preceded us, commanded by a nephew of the
governor of Momien, and a more indescribable lot of
irregulars were never seen. The officers, however,
were fine intelligent men, well dressed in Panthay
garb. So little fear of danger seemed to exist that
they were accompanied by some female relatives in
full Chinese costume, who rode in the advance guard.
The valley, or rather glen, as it is only a mile wide,
which stretched to the north before us, seemed to
be a remarkable instance of the changes effected by
water. Throughout its length of about twenty miles,
its sides are marked by two well defined river
terraces, and indications of a third higher one

182 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

corresponding to the higliest of the Mawphoo glen.
These terraces close in at the head, while the en-
trance into the deep ravine of the Mawphoo glen
terminates it. This whole length of area, lying one
thousand feet above the level of Sanda, has been
denuded by the Tah6 ; the second terrace, which
corresponds with the lower one of the Mawphoo glen,
is almost on the same elevation with a level platform
which extends from the head of the valley. From
this to the foot of the Mawphoo gorge seems to
have been once a level flat, perhaps a lake, like that
of Yunnan, from which the Tah6 precipitated itself
as a waterfall into the Sanda valley. The hills to
the east, at the base of which our route lay, instead
of the bold precipitous mountains of metamorphic
rocks, were rounded trappean hills, occasional
glimpses of which reminded us of home scenery, as
they swept up in grassy curves, with dense clumps
of trees on or near their summits. Numerous water-
courses seamed their sides, the channels strewn with
waterworn granite boulders, rounded lava-like masses
of cellular basalt, and large fragments of peat.

The hills to the north-west rose much higher, in a
lofty, well wooded mountain wall, with grander
peaks soaring beyond. Seven miles from Nantin we
halted to visit the famous hot springs. The steam
rising from them had been visible nearly a mile off;
and the Nam-mine, a rather large stream fed by
them, was hot enough to startle both men and mules
while fording it. The rocks composing the side of

THE HOy SPEINGS. 183

the hill whence the springs issue consisted of a
cellular basalt and a hard quartzose rock, the former
being partially superficial, and the latter that through
which the springs issued.

Seen from the west, the south-eastern side of the
hill is marked by an apparently deep, crater-like
hollow, forcibly suggesting that it was once a
volcanic vent, the neighbouring rocks being almost
scoriaceous, and the internal heat being still evidenced
by the boiling springs. Besides those on the
western face, others still larger occur on its other
side, some miles to the east. Of those visible, the
most important is an oval basin about three yards
long, with a depth of eight inches ; about six yards
from it are a number of funnels, six inches in
diameter, in the quartz rock, emitting steam.
Higher up, and fifty yards off, another strong jet of
steam occurs, and on the other side of a narrow
gully are two other springs, which emit a consider-
able body of boiling water through the earthy face
of the hill. The water in the principal spring
comes up with great force through circular apertures,
about three inches in diameter, and the bottom of
the basin is covered with thick impalpable white
mud. Owing to the heat and volume of steam, it
was only accessible on the leeward side, and the
ground was so hot that our barefooted followers
could not approach by some yards. It vibrated in a
remarkable way, and the sensation was as if one
were standing over a gigantic boiler buried in the

184 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

earth, which was increased by the loud roar of the
steam from the funnels, and the indistinct rumbling
noises in the hidden inferno.

It is remarkable that, although the steam is at
scalding heat, the stones in it are covered with
masses of green jelly, which thrive at a temperature
only ten degrees below boiling-point. The analysis
of a gallon of the water is as follows : 120 grains of
sohd matter; 112 salts of alkalis, almost entirely
chloride of sodium ; 80 earthy salts, silica, and oxide
of iron. No nitric and but very little sulphuric and
carbonic acids were present, but traces of phosphoric
acid were detected. We were informed that the springs
are much resorted to by patients from all parts, who
use the spring to cook their food, and cure them-
selves in the vapour or the Nam-mine stream. After
enjoying our halt, which had been made with the
full approval of the Panthay officers and the Hotha
chief, we started to overtake the cavalcade, which
had marched forward. Just as we rejoined the
rear-guard, four shots were fired in front, but as the
road only admitted of single file, and lay along a
thickly wooded hillside, marked by the ruins of
many villages, no one could advance to reconnoitre.
lyWord was presently passed down that the mules had
been attacked and two Panthay officers wounded ;
but on proceeding onwards, we discovered that the
affair was more serious, and that the two officers
and another man had been killed.^ We soon came
up to the bodies of the officers wrapped in their

ATTACKED BY CHINESE. 185

large turbans and tied to bamboos, ready to be
carried back to Nantin. The poor fellows bad both
been great favourites with their comrades and the
governor of Momien ; and a sad group surrounded
the bodies, including their female relatives, who had
ridden out from Nantin only to lament their murder,
for so it was. As they were riding at the head of
the mules, at a corner in the narrow path, a lurking
body of Chinese rushed out from the trees, shot down
the first, and the second, hurrying to the rescue, was
shot through the leg and cut down with a dah.
Eight mules had their loads thrown oif and looted,
and were then driven up the hills. A little further
on, the scene of the disaster was marked by the
ransacked packages lying on the roadside, and among
them two boxes containing my clothes and note-
books. One of these had escaped unopened, and was
left in charge of a Panthay ofScerj who promised to
see it brought on. At the head of the valley a halt
was called, to enable all the Panthays to come up,
as a second ambuscade was suspected in a thickly
wooded hollow in the steep hillside above.

At this point the river terraces sweep round to
form the head of the valley, but the Taho has cut a
deep gorge through them. The second terrace could
be seen continuing to the north in a long upward
slope, thrown into rounded mounds, the sites of small
villages, and terminating in a distant broad plain.
The hillsides were covered with pines, and the road
ran through a belt of dense forest, over the shoulder

/

186 MANWYNE TO MOMIEN.

of a spur from the main range of hills. Here the
attack was expected to be made, so we advanced with
vigilant attention to the jungle on either hand, pass-
ing ruined villages, buried in dense vegetation, con-
sisting chiefly of fruit trees and garden plants run
wild. We were unmolested, and, after a short descent,
came upon the Tah6 foaming along its rocky channel,
spanned by a broad parapeted bridge of gneiss and
granite. The roadway exactly followed the curve of
the arch, and the ponies could scarcely keep their foot-
ing on the smooth slabs, worn almost to a polish by the
constant traiEc of bygone centuries. ZX)n the right
bank a small Panthay guard met us, and reported
that they had chased a body of Chinese, lurking in
the dreaded hollow. / We soon gained the level of
the plain, seen in the distance as the upward termi-
nation of the Nantin valley. From its eastern side
rose a long conical hill, stretching nearly north and
south, in a black sterile mass of lava, with the excep-
tion of its rounded grassy summit. This remarkable
extinct volcano of Hawshuenshan, rising abruptly
from the plain, stands out in striking contrast to the
tumulus-shaped grassy hills which cluster round it
on all sides. A few small plants rooted in the inter-
stices of the rocks do not, in the distance, impart
even a trace of verdure to its barren sides, which are
thrown into long rocky curves, evidently old lava
streams. We rode over the eastern extremity of this
volcano, by a broad path joaved with long slabs of
gneiss and granite, and again came upon the Taho,

I iilii'1

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THE VALLEY OF MOMIEN. 187

as a narrow rapid stream running between it and
the abrupt sides of the grassy hills to the east. We
crossed the river over another handsome stone bridge,
and passed the ruins of a rather large village. The
Taho issues at this point from between a high spur
and the volcano, through a very narrow gorge ; and
the road wound up the side of the spur, and was laid
with a double line of stone flags to facilitate the
ascent. From the top we gained a fine view of the
small circular lake-like valley, from which the Taho
issued below, and looked down on numerous villages
encircling the irrigated level in its centre, which was
covered with young rice. Continuing a slight ascent
over the grassy hills, by a good broad road, we
turned the flank of a lofty hill crowned with a
white pagoda ; and the valley of Momien lay before
us, shut in on all sides by rounded hills, treeless, but
covered with pasture.

The hills seemed to slope almost to the walls of the
city in the centre, but the intervening area was suf-
ficient for an almost unbroken ring of large villages,
either in ruins or deserted. To the right rose the
Deebay range, beyond which lay the road to Tali-fu,
and in the far distance the lofty Tayshan ranges,
running north and south, formed a noble background
of black rugged mountains. A long narrow valley
stretched in a northerly direction, marking the course
of the Taho, from its source in the Sin-hai or Pai-hai
watershed, sixty miles distant. Between the foot of
the hill and the city wall, a long line of flags of all

188 MANWYNE TO MOMIBN.

shapes aud colours, and glittering spears, marked the
presence of the Tah-sa-kon of Momien. An aide-de-
camp presently arrived with a request that we would
dismount and greet the governor, who had come out
to meet us. We were a motley group, not improved
in appearance by twenty-one miles' march over muddy
flats and dusty hills, but, preceded by the most pre-
sentable sepoys, with the jemadar carrying a gold
sword in front, the three Europeans advanced under
the canopy of two gold umbrellas, through a long line
of oflScers and banner men, to the Tah-sa-kon, who,
dressed in full mandarin costume, occupied a richly
cushioned chair, with three huge red silk umbrellas,
fringed with gold lace, held over him. He rose to
welcome us with handshaking and courteous greet-
ing, and then escorted us to a large, well built temple
outside the town-wall, but close beneath the angle
where the governor's palace stood. Here we took
up our quarters with a sense of profound satisfaction
at having at last, after so many delays and diffi-
culties, reached a city of Western Yunnan.

ELEVATION OF MOMIEN. 189

CHAPTER YII.

MOMIEN.

Momien — The to-wn of Teng-yue-chow — Aspect and condition —
An official reception — Ketttrn visit — Government house — A
Chinese tragedy — The market — Jade manufacture — Minerals —
Mines of Yunnan — Stone celts — Cattle — Climate — Environs —
The waterfall — Pagoda hiU — Shuayduay — Eock temples —
Euined suburbs — City temples — Four-armed deities — Boys' school
— A grand feast — The loving-cup — The tsawbwa-gadaw of
Muangtee — Keenzas — The Chinese poor.

A RETROSPECT of tlie joumey thus far showed that
since our departure from the Burmese plain we had
been steadily ascending. Although the altitudes
could not be taken with accuracy, owing to the
inefficiency of the instruments which had been sup-
plied at Rangoon, such observations as it was in our
power to make were made ; they were subsequently
reduced by the surveyor's department at Calcutta,
and the results are approximately correct. Where it
was necessary to depend on speculation, care was
taken to under-estimate the apparent altitudes. The
natives always speak of ascending to Momien and
descending from it, and, applied to the western
approaches, this expression is fully justified. From

190 MOMIEN.

Bhamo, four hundred and fifty feet above the sea-level,
we had climbed over the Kakhyen hills to the Sanda
valley, which, at Manwyne, lies at least two thousand
feet above Bhamo. Throughout the forty-eight
miles of its length, this valley rises so gradually as
to present the appearance of a long level avenue,
divided into three stages, till the head of the Muangla
division is reached. From this it is requisite to
ascend by a detour over the Mawphoo height, to
attain the fourth stage, or the valley of Nantin,
Ijang one thousand feet above Manwyne. From
the upper extremity of the Nantin valley, the long
steps, so to speak, of the Hawshuenshan glen rise
fourteen hundred feet to Momien. Thus, the latter
city, one hundred and thirty-five miles from Bhamo,
occupies a site on a plateau elevated more than five
thousand feet above the level of the sea, which
is declared by native reports to be the highest
inhabited position in the mountainous region of
Western Yunnan.

The Chinese city of Teng-yue-chow, better known
by its Shan name of Mo-mien, is said to have been
built four hundred years ago by a governor of Yung-
chang, obeying the king of Mansi or Yunnan, which
the Shans call Muangsee. It was probably built as
a frontier garrison, to hold in check the recently
conquered territories of the Shan kingdom of Pong.
It thus became, as it still is, the ruling head-quarters
of the tributary; Koshanpyi^ or Nine Shan States,
now represented By" those of the Sanda and Hotha

ASPECT AND CONDITION. 191

valleys, with Muangtee, Muang-mo, and Muangmah.
We were able to procure a Chinese history of
Mo mien as well as of Tali, though both had become
rare, as the rebels had destroyed the woodblocks.
These copies were brought by Major Sladen to
England, in order to be deposited in the British
Museum. It is to be hoped that some one of our
Chinese scholars will find leisure to translate these
works, which would probably throw valuable light on
the little known history of these regions.

The plan and construction of the city show that it
was built as a fortress. It occupies an area of five
furlongs square, enclosed by a strongly built stone
wall, battlemented or crenellated, twenty-five feet
high. Twenty yards from the walls a deep moat
surrounded the once city ; it was still perfect on the
eastern and southern faces, but had degenerated into
a broad puddle^ the favourite wallow for the bazaar
pigs, on the western. The masonry is admirable, the
well hewn slabs of lavaceous rock, two to four feet
long, being laid in mortar, hardened almost to the
consistency of the stone, while the moat is faced with
stones laid together without mortar, so close and true
that a penknife can scarcely be inserted between
them. Inside the wall, an earthen rampart, about
thirty feet wide and eighteen feet high, serves as a
battery, or parade ground, as well as a promenade.
There are no bastions, but at intervals turrets rise
from the rampart, built of blue burned bricks, the
smooth surface and sharp edges of which are un-

192 MOMIEN.

injured by tlie wear and tear of centuries. The four
gateways, to eacli of which corresponds a sub-
stantial bridge spanning the moat, are lofty and
well built ; but at the time of our visit, two of these
gates had been built up. The south-western or
bazaar gate was especially fortified by a semicircular
traverse, an entrance in the side of which led into a
tunnel-like archway, over which rose a lofty watch-
tower, with concave roof, supported by strong pillars.
The inner doorway was closed by heavy ironclad
wooden valves, which were carefully shut at night-
fall. Viewed from a distance, the walls and turrets,
with a lofty pagoda and the roof of the watch-tower,
seemed to indicate a populous and thriving town ; but
within the walls was almost emptiness. The broad
rectangular streets were comparatively deserted, save
by a few Panthay soldiers, who with their families
formed the sole intramural population. But few
houses remained uninjured, the best of these being
the dwellings of the governor and his officers. 1 The
numerous temples had been gutted and half demo-
lished.] The images and huge stone incense vases
had been overthrown and broken, while the ruined
walls pitted with bullets showed the fierceness of
the struggle which had taken place. The absence of
all the wonted bustle and noise of a crowded city
was made more striking by the evidence on all sides
of the former prosperity and population.

Our stay at Momien extended over six weeks ; but
the state of the country, combined with the weather.

1^
p

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Izi
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AN OFFICIAL EEOEPTION. 193

reduced us almost to inaction. ^The depressing mono-
tony of life under these circumstances was, however,
relieved by the unvarying kindness of the hospitable
PanthaysQ Our first day was devoted to arrange-
ment of ourselves and baggage, in which a crowd
of curious visitors assisted by uttering astonished
" lyaws !" at everything possessed by the foreigners,
whose persons and goods each was anxious to
inspect.

The following day having been appointed by the
governor for our reception, we entered the town in
state, preceded by twenty Mahommedan sepoys of
the escort, carrying the presents. These consisted of
green and yellow broadcloths, muslins, gaudy rugs
and table covers, double-barrelled guns and revolvers,
with all appliances, powder and shot, penknives,
scissors, a binocular glass, telescope, and musical-
box, and a quantity of Bryant and May's matches.

A large but well-behaved crowd of poverty-
stricken Chinese had assembled, who matched well
with the ruinous houses of the suburb. We entered
by the south-western gate into a narrow dirty street,
from which a lane led to the governor's house, sur-
rounded by a low wall. The gateway, about fifteen
feet high, was formed of plain squared stone pillars,
with others laid horizontally across them, like the
cross beams of a doorway. This led into the usual
Chinese succession of quadrangular courts. In a
small circular pavilion were stationed some ragged
musicians, who struck up a lively air on gongs and

0

194: MOMIEN.

cymbals. As we crossed the court to the house, a
salute was fired from three small cannon that were
stuck into the ground, with muzzles upwards. A
rabble followed into the doorway leading to the
inner court, at the end of which, in the reception
hall, sat the governor. He rose to receive us, and
motioned us to sit on his left hand, at a long table,
on which the presents were laid before him. Behind
his seat there was a raised recess, covered with red
cloth, in which stood a small chair of state. The
sides of the room were hung with long narrow strips
of blue and red cloth, covered with Chinese cha-
racters in gold-leaf. The superior officers occupied
chairs along each side of the room, apd a crowd of
underlings blocked up the entrance. ( The governor
was a powerful man, fully six feet three inches high,
with prominent cheek-bones, heavy protuberant lips,
slightly hooked nose, and faintly oblique eyes. 1 His
face was bronzed by exposure, and a deep indenta-
tion between the eyes, with other scars, told of cam-
paigns, in which he was said to be ever foremost in
the fight. He wore a grey felt hat, resembling a
helmet placed sideways, the front half of the rim
being turned up, and the back part downwards. A
gold rosette, set with large precious stones, formed a
handsome ornament in front, and a long blue silk
topknot hung down behind. A pale blue silk coat,
richly figured, exactly resembling a dressing-gown,
completed his costume. Sladen expressed our deep
regret at the death of the two officers, and promised

EETDRN VISIT. 195

to suggest to our government to compensate their
families. ; The governor replied that we were not to
distress ourselves, as they considered ^t an, Jionour
to die as those men had done. \ As to the opening of
tradep he "3eclared that any number of English
merchants might visit Momien in the ensuing
November ; that he had arranged with the Shan y'
tsawbwas, and could manage the Kakhyens, so that
caravans should pass safely ; but he hinted that there
were too many people then present to admit of this
question being discussed. He expressed great plea-
sure at the presents, and the musical-box being set
agoing excited universal admiration ; the matches
astonished the company ; but the sincerest satisfac-
tion was called forth by the guns and powder. Tea,
preserved oranges, jujubes, and sugar-candy were
served round. p!n the course of general conversation
the governor stated that the Sultan had been pleased
to hear of our intended visit to Momien ; but he .
feared that the road to Tali-fu was too infested with
Chinese bands to allow of our proceeding further. '\

I The governor, attended by an armed retinue, paid
his return visit of ceremony the next day, carried
in a gorgeous chair, and dressed in full mandarin
robes, while his officers were gaily attired in white
cotton jackets, braided, and adorned with silver
buttons. They made a gallant show of gold swords,
silver spears, banners, and other insignia, j Presents
were brought in, consisting of a bullock, sheep,
trays of confectionery, and forty thousand ■cash.

0 2

196 MOMIEN.

The latter were at first declined, but the courteous
Tah-sa-kon would take no refusal, and the cash
furnished an acceptable largess to the escort and
followers, giving each about one rupee. The mission
funds were, in truth, rather low about this time,
which, it may be noted, operated against the acquisi-
tion of specimens of the local manufactures, save
to a very limited amount. Among the confectionery
sent was a quantity of fine white granulated honey,
and a strong warning was given against the use
of onions, as the combination of onions and honey
in the system would be a certain poison.

When taking leave, the governor suggested that
now the claims of etiquette had been satisfied, we
should consider ourselves free of government house,
as well as the town in general, and come and go as
we liked, and promised that he would visit us sans
ceremonie. Our guard and the Panthays fraternised
completely, their common faith uniting them, and
the Chinese Mahommedans treated the true believers
from India with great respect. The jemadar was
indeed in constant request to oflSciate at the mosque,
till he lost his voice by over-exertion.

True to his promise, the governor appeared bent
on carrying us off to an entertainment at his house.
We were received in the same room as before, but
were invited to sit with our host on the dais at the
further end ; constant relays of tea-cakes and sweet-
meats were brought in, to all of which each man
was "expected to do his duty. Shouts of laughter

GOVEENMENT HOUSE. 197

reached our ears from time to time, as the ladies,
our host's four wives and their maids, amused them-
selves in the adjacent zenana with the magnetic
battery. UOur circle was presently joined by the
tsawbwa-gadaw of Muangtee, who was on a visit
tx) the governor. She was attended by several well-
dressed Shan ladies, and they chatted and laughed
with that charming good-humour which seems
characteristic of the Shans, {

We were then shown over the private apartments
by the governor himself, who led us first to his bed-
room, a snug little windowless room, lighted by two
doors facing each other, containing a large four-
post bed, with blue silk curtains looped up by silver
chains, and a comfortable couch, Lwhile the walls were
decorated with an. English^ eight-day clock, and
Chinese pictures and old armour. " Passing through
the room, we entered a small court, where a number
of tailors sat busily at work in a verandah. This led
to the zenana, or women's apartments, a pretty
range of buildings, surrounding a small garden,
ornamented with large vases, containing dwarfed
fruit and pine trees, and stone tanks filled with
goldfish. The trees included peach, plum, orange^
box, &c., about two to four feet in height, which
had been dwarfed by tying knots in the stem of
the sapling. On our way back, we passed through
a room hung round with war hats gorgeously
decorated with the tail feathers of the Lady Amherst
and golden pheasants, and with the handsome fox-

198 MOMIEN.

like brush of the wah (Ailurus fulgens, F. Ouv.).
After this inspection, we were conducted to an open
hall, in which a theatrical entertainment was to take
place. More tea and cakes were produced, while
large copper vases of incense burned close to ns,
and the heavy fumes produced a drowsy feeling.
The stage was a pavilion about twenty feet long,
closed on three sides, with two doors behind it,
one for the entrance and the other for the exit of
the players. The orchestra of violins, gongs, and
cymbals, occupied the back of the stage, and dis-
coursed most monotonous music, like the clatter of
crockery, with occasional bangs and screeches. A
small panelled picture of birds and flowers served
as scenery, and the properties were a table like an
inverted pyramid, with a chair on either side of it.
I The characters were all sustained by male performers,
who, on this occasion, presented a tragedy, turning
on the Chinese virtue of filial obedience. This
required the hero to obey his mother by rebelling
against his father-in-law and killing the princess, his
wife ; but the latter solved the diflSculty by suicide,
and mother and son joined in lamentation over
her. The hero had his face painted red, and adorned
with a long black beard and moustache ; he was
accoutred in a gorgeous coat, richly embroidered
with dragons and tiowers, a hat with a fine bushy
tail of Ailurus fulgens, red trousers, and black satin
boots. He bellowed and blustered, and strode about
the stage as if practising the goose-step ; the close

THE MAEKET. 199

of every speech being emphasized by a bound in the
air. While the play was going on, we were ex-
pected to consume the contents of eight bowls con-
taining fowl chopped up with salted goose, dried
prawns, mushrooms, vegetables, &c., each dish being
evidently a choice specimen of Chinese cuisine.
I Ahyeh, or sarashoo, was then served round, but the
governor, as a good Mussulman, abstained from the
forbidden liquor ; small saucers of rice and condiments
came next, but after three hours of eating we beat
a retreat from the still interminable feast and drama.
The hospitable governor renewed his invitation
the next afternoon, when a farcical comedy was
played, which was very broad, but fortunately brief.
As this was the market-day, two officers were de-
tached to escort us through the bazaar, the principal
street of which extended half a mile straight from
the south-western city gates. Each side was occupied
by permanent shops, and a double row of stalls,
protected by huge umbrellas, lined the whole length
of the street. A dense crowd of Chinese, Shans,
and Panthays, with a small sprinkling of Leesaws
and Kakhyens, thronged every avenue ; the people
were quite good-humoured, but their curiosity would
have been very troublesome but for the presence of
the officers. This, however, was only at first ; during
our stay we roamed at will through the streets of
the bazaar suburb, as well as within the walls. The
shops were small, one-storied cottages, each devoted
to a particular trade. Drapers, booksellers, druggists.

200 MOMIEN.

dealers in tobacco and nuts, provision mercliants,
displayed their several wares, Isut, except on the
market day, with little custom. Numerous eating-
houses were crowded by the better class of customers,
while the poorer villagers were supplied by lads
hawking comestibles. The stalls made a rich display
of vegetables and fruit ; among the former were peas,
green and dried beans, potatoes, celery, carrots,
onions, garlic, yams, bamboo shoots, cabbage and
spinach, and ginger ; the fruit comprised apples
like golden pippins, pears, peaches, walnuts, chest-
nuts, brambleberries, rose-hips, and three sorts of
unknown fruit. Mushrooms were in great demand,
as well as a dried, almost black lichen ; black pepper,
betel-nut, and poppy capsules were seen on almost
every stall, and salt sold in compressed balls, marked
with a government stamp. Other departments con-
tained coloured Chinese cloths and yarns, and buttons,
English long and broad cloth, needles, and brass
buttons, Mahommedan skull-caps, embroidered in
gold thread, rings, mouth-pieces and brooches of
amber and jade, opium pipes, and Chinese hookahs.
Running at right angles to the principal street is
another devoted to tailors and ready-made clothes
stores, and coppersmiths, who supply all kitchen
appliances, and manufacture the copper discs used
in cutting jade. |^A.long this street we came to the
store of the principal Chinese merchant, who invited
us in, and was very hospitable. His laments over the
decay of the former trade with Burma, caused by

JADE MANUFAOTUEE. 201

the civil war, showed clearly to which side his
sympathies inclined ;) and it was evident that he, as
well as all the non-Mahommedan Chinese, were only
kept to their present allegiance by the strong hand.
The whole bazaar suburb was surrounded by a low
brick wall with several gates, each guarded by a
sentinel at night, and the Chinese resided here,
being evidently excluded from the city. Although
the manufactures seemed to be in a very depressed
state, the quarters of the various artificers were still
traceable ; in a by-street we had an opportunity of
viewing the manufacture of jade ornaments. The
copper discs employed, a foot and a half in diameter,
are very thin and bend easily ; the centre is beatea
out into a cup, which receives the end of the re-
volving cylinder. We watched two men at work, one
using the cutter, and the other a borer tipped with
a composition of quartz and little particles resembling
ruby dust. Both were driven by treadles ; the stone
is held below the disc, under which is a basin of
water and fine silicious mud, into which the stone
is occasionally dipped, the operator taking bandfuls
of the mud. The stones are cut into discs one-
eighth of an inch thick, when intended for ear-rings,
and handed over to the borer to be perforated. The
most valuable jade is of an intensely bright green,
something like emerald; but red and pale pink
qualities are highly prized. In the extensive ruins
outside the bazaar there was ample evidence, in the
rejected fragments of jade, that the manufacture

202 MOMIEN.

must Lave been formerly carried on on a mucli more
extensive scale. The jade is obtained from tbe mines
in the Mogoung district, where large masses in the
form of rounded boulders are dug out of the pits ; in
former times a large quantity was yearly imported to
Momien. One hundred rupees was the price asked for
a pair of bracelets of the finest jade, and at Bhamo
four rupees purchased rings worth £2 at Canton.

Of amber-workers, who manufactured rosaries,
rings, mouth-pieces, &c., from the amber brought from
the mines in the Hukong valley, near Mogoung, but
few remained at the time of our visit. The amber
most prized is perfectly clear, and the colour of
very dark sherry. A triangular specimen, one inch
long, and one across, cost ten shillings.

At the bazaar there was a plentiful display of the
mineral wealth of Western Yunnan, which is rich in
gold, silver, lead, iron, copper^ tin, mercury, arsenic,
and gypsum; and we obtained small specimens of
most of these minerals, including a yellow orpiment,
exported in quantities from Tali to Mandalay, whither
a large amount of tin also is annually sent. The
copper is brought from a range of hills near Khyto,
three days' march to the north-east. It is smelted
on the spot, and brought in flattish pigs. The same
hills are said to yield all the iron and salt used in
Western Yunnan ; but the most precious product of
the Khyto mines is galena. Of this, a small speci-
men has been assayed by Dr. Oldham, who has pro-
nounced it to be among the richest that he has ever

MINEEALS AJSTD MINES. 203

seen ; it yields 0*278 per cent., or 104 oz. of silver to
the ton of lead. Flints and large quantities of lime
are brought from Tali-fu, where large quarries of fine
white marble exist. Sulphur is procured in the
^jieighbourhood, but we could not learn the locality, --pry
) Li-sieh-taijiWas subsequently reported to be raising '
^ siilphur to the south-west, and an Old Resident * in
Western China mentions a rich mine of sulphur
belonging to the northern frontier town of Atenze,
behind a little mine of saltpetre. The Chinese
report on the mines of Yunnan, appended to the
records of the French expedition, states that in 1850
the copper mines of Yunnan, of which Tali-fu is
the principal depot, produced over eleven thousand
tons, and the silver amounted to two millions of
francs. The Old Resident, however, says that before
the outbreak of the rebellion there were one hundred
and thirty-two copper mines, government knowing
only of thirty-seven ; and as the above account was
calculated on the returns made to the government,
who exact from thirty to fifty per cent, of the pro-
duce, it is plain that the mineral wealth of Yunnan
is even greater than it is set forth in that report.
Grold is brought to Momien from Yonephin and
Sherg-wan villages, fifteen days' march to the north-
east ; but no information could be obtained as to the
quantity found. It is also brought in leaf, which is
sent to Burma, where it is in extensive demand.

* ' Pioneer of Commerce,' appendix v. pp. 464 and 466.

204 MOMIEN.

In the drug-shops a powder was vended as a
nervous restorative, made of the horn of an antelope
ground down, and sold at one rupee per tickal ; *
and the pharmacopoeia also included the powdered
shells of a tortoise (^Testudo platynotus, Blyth),
imported from Upper Burma, and snuff made of
sambur horn, used as a styptic for bleeding from
the nose. We were much surprised to find stone
celts openly offered for sale. When it was known
that we would purchase, numbers were brought in,
and we acquired a collection of one hundred and
fifty specimens, at prices varying from two shillings
to sixpence. Their poverty and not their will con-
strained the owners to part with them, for they are
believed to confer good luck on the owner, and to
possess curative properties if dipped in medicine, and
are exhibited to procure easy parturition. They are
usually turned up by the plough ; and the popular
belief is that they fall from the sky as thunderbolts,
and take nine years to work up to the surface.
The high estimation in which they are held suggests
that a Chinese Flint Jack made a profitable business
of imitating the real implements, or manufacturing
amulets of the same type. A large number of those
purchased are small, beautifully cut form?, with few
or no signs of use, and made of some variety of jade ;
but there is no reason to doubt the authenticity of
the larger forms which were brought to us. Bronze

* A tickal is rather more than half an ounce troy.

CATTLE. - 205

celts are also found, but are valued at their weight
in gold ; we managed, however, to purchase one
at Manwyne on the return journey. It belongs to
the socketed type of celts without wings. The com-
position of the bronze is the same as that of the celts
found in Northern Europe — tin 10, copper 90.

In consequence of a long period of drought pre-
ceding our arrival, the slaughter of animals had
been forbidden, as it was feared that the rain would
be withheld as a punishment, i a curious instance of
Buddhist superstition aflfecting the Panthays and
Chinese ; (but in two days the rains set in, and the
prohibition was removed. The markets were thence-
forward well supplied with bullocks, buffaloes, sheep,
goats, and pigs. The buffaloes are chiefly used for
agriculture ; the beeves have no hump, and are small
but well made, generally of reddish-brown colour,
deepening to black. The numerous sheep belong to
a large blackfaced breed, with convex profiles. Two
kinds of goats are common; one with long shaggy
white hair nearly sweeping the ground, and flattened
spiral horns, directed backwards and outwards ; the
other kind has very short dark brown hair, short
shoulder list, and full beard, with similar flattened
spiral horns, but not so procumbent. The pigs seemed
to be all black. Remarkably fine ponies were
common ; but the mules, which were much more
numerous, are more prized. Fowls, ducks, and geese
are abundant and large ; and last, though not least,
cats, all of a uniform grey, with faint darkish spots,

206 MOMIEN.

made themselves at home everywhere. But we
noticed very few dogs, those seen being black with
shaggy coats, resembling the shepherd dogs of the
south of Scotland.

It has been mentioned that the rains set in soon
after our arrival. From June 1st the s,outh-west
monsoon prevailed, with very few fair intervals.
The sky was obscured by thick, misty clouds, that
wrapped the hills in dense folds. As a rule, the rain
fell very heavily ; but there were days together when
it was little more than a thick Scotch mist in a dead
calm. Occasional thunderstorms of terrific grandeur
burst over the valley, accompanied by strong gusts
from the south-west ; but the most characteristic fea-
ture of the weather was the generally perfect stillness
of the atmosphere, while low leaden clouds poured
down incessant rain, generally heavy, but sometimes
only a gentle drizzle, all which combined had a
sufficiently depressing effect on us. The temperature
was by no means, oppressive, the mean maximum in
June being seventy-four degrees, and the minimum
sixty-two degrees. The natives strongly assert that
the climate is unhealthy for strangers, and we all
suffered more or less from intractable diarrhoea.
Smallpox, too, was prevalent; and one of our
collectors and a Kakhyen sub-chief, who had
accompanied us, died from it. We were strongly
cautioned against the use of the river water, to which
the natives attribute the prevalence of goitre, which
is most unpleasantly remarkable among men and

THE CLIMATE. 207

women and children, some goitres being so large
as to require special support; even young infants
were observed aflfected by it, and in their case it
must have been congenital. Otherwise the children
seemed very healthy, notwithstanding their rags and
dirt, and not a single case of fever was observed,
though about sixty or seventy patients were treated
for other diseases.

The fact that by far the greater part of the valley
is under water for six or seven months, during three
of which it is little better than a huge morass, would
not seem to recommend it as salubrious ; but it must
be remembered that it lies more than five thousand
feet above the level of the sea, in the twenty-fourth
parallel of north latitude, and is a comparatively dry
and temperate country, singularly destitute of trees,
which conditions would combine to place it beyond
the range of miasma. ^

The worthy governor showed great anxiety about
our health. He refused, on the score of security,
against prowling robbers, to let us shift our quar-,
ters, but sent guards to accompany us in an occa-
sional ramble round the precincts of the city. So
great was the insecurity that we dared not ven-
ture more than a few hundred yards from the walls
unattended.^ A favourite walk was to a place less
than a mile to the north-west of the town. Here the
Tabs, after flowing through the valley, precipitates
itself, in an all but unbroken sheet of water, over a
cliff one hundred feet high ; thence it foams down

208 MOMIEN.

a steep glen to the little valley of Hawshuenshan.
Immediately above tlie fall the stream is spanned by
a substantial stone bridge of three arches with roofed
approaches. Below this the thick bed of basaltic
trap, over which the river leaps, is worn into a
miniature horseshoe ; and the overhanging luxuriant
vegetation of ferns and brambles, and wild roses with
double flowers, formed a strikingly beautiful scene.
In the rains the body of water was so great that a
column of spray ascended which was visible two miles
off. From this point the crenellated walls of Momien,
with the distant background of lofty ranges, com-
pleted a striking picture. Above the bridge the
Taho flows down in a toi'tuous stream twenty yards
broad, well stocked with large gold carp (Cavassius
auratus, Lin.), between banks ten feet high ; and the
rice-fields on either side are irrigated by large wheels
raising the water in long bamboo buckets, which
discharge themselves into wooden pipes leading to
the fields. These wheels are numerous in the valley.
After visiting the waterfall, we ascended the
pagoda hill, about one thousand feet above the- town.
The path led through potato-fields now in full bloom,
the plants grown in ridges, and earthed up with a
home-like effect. The leaf is smaller than that of the
home plant, and the tubers in the market had a thin
red skin ; but they were very good, and in great
demand at fourpence for three pounds and a half.
Nothing could be learned of the introduction of this
plant, nor of the celery, which is also largely culti-

O

O
M
■<
H

H
W

PAGODA HILL 209

vated, and seemed quite as out of place. The potato,
however, is called yan-gee, evidently the same as
yang-yu, foreign root, which, according to Mr.
Cooper,* is its name in Sz-chuen, where it is said to
have been introduced by the foreign teachers, i.e. the
French missionaries, long ago. The lower slope of
the hill was covered with stone tumulus-shaped
tombs, the arched head of each contaiaing a tablet
with an epitaph. Ruder graves were simple earthen
tumuli, each with its arched opening blocked by a
large stone. The slopes of the hills surrounding the
valley are dotted with similar graveyards — mute
records of the population that once thronged the
ruined villages lying below. Near the summit stood
a pagoda, a whitewashed round brick^ tower 'on a
stone base with six projecting rings, t The hill itself,
like all the eminences around, was covered with fine
grass, and a number of mules were grazing under the
protection of a Panthay guard. A pleasant illustra-
tion of the prevailing insecurity was given a few
days later, when this guard was attacked and forty
mules driven off by imjperialjst Ohinese.j We were
unmolested, and climbed to the summit, flushing
from the bracken beds a magnificent cock pheasant
{Phasmnus sladeni, And.), with long tail feathers,
resembling some noticed in a Panthay head-dress.
Sladen afterwards bagged the hen; and we also
obtained a young fox with a golden-yellow coat and

' Pioneer of Commerce,' p. 186.

210 MOMIEN.

white-tipped brush, apparently of the Himalayan
race. Returning, we observed a large arched cavern,
which proved to be an old quarry of trachytic rock,
which had probably furnished the city walls. On
one occasion we were permitted to make a longer
excursion to the valley of Hawshuenshan, ^Our party
must have consisted of thirty-five men, all armed, the
Panthay guard, equipped with spears and muskets,
being commanded by the governor's nephew, with
several other officers : all this being necessary- for
safety during a mere suburban stroll. / Turning
southerly from Momien, we soon came in sight of
the town of Yay-law, the deserted ruins of which
stretched for more than a mile along the foot of
the Deebay range. We skirted the pagoda hill,
remarking a curious isolated heap of lava ; no
other rock was visible for miles around, and it had •
all the appearance of a small volcanic vent, and the
rock was identical with that of the extinct volcano.

Rounding the hills two miles from Momien, a
slight westerly descent led to a short narrow gorge,
at the south-eastern angle of the little circular valley
of Hawshuenshan. The once wealthy village of
Shuayduay occupies an abrupt slope at the head of
the gorge, rising in a series of terraces faced with
mortarless walls of very porous lava, laid as closely
as the facing of the Momien ditch, and protected by
parapets of sun-dried brick. A small stream runs
down the ravine, which is not more than a quarter of
a mile long and fifty yards broad, to a substantial

EOCK TEMPLES. 211

tank crossed by a broad stone platform, arched on
one side to allow the overflow to escape. Facing
Hawshuenshan valley, the platform expands into a
handsome, crescent-shaped terrace, enclosed by an
elegant stone balustrade, which forms the entrance
to a temple built on the southern slope, opjDosite
to Shuayduay. This temple, rising in terraces on
the steep hillside, standing out beautifully against
the background of green hills, was the only one
spared by the Mahommedans, whose stern bigotry
could not resist its beauty. The approach to the
temple buildings lay through two curved courtyards
with handsome arched gateways. The first enclo-
sure was an open square with three sides built on
the same level, the nearest one of which contained
the priests' apartments ; to the right and left lay a
neat garden of dwarfed fruit trees, the centre of
which was occupied by a few stunted trees covered
with a profusion of yellow orchids in full flower,
and a magnificent hydrangea in a colossal vase ; the
furthest side next the hill was raised on a stone
terrace four feet above the level of the rest. On
this higher platform stood life-sized gilded figures of
deities, with incense always burning in small black
stone vases, and on a table in front of the images
lay a large drum and grotesque lioUow wooden fishes,
which the priests and worshippers beat with short
sticks. A passage led through each side of the court
to stone staircases proceeding to the terrace above,
and converging in its centre in an hexagonal tower,

p 2

212 MOMIEN.

supported on stone pillars seven feet high ; these
formed an archway from which ascended a short
flight of steps, dividing to the right and left to reach
the highest terrace, nearly on a level with which was
a chapel forming the upper chamber of the hexagonal
tower. The upper temple occupied the whole of its
terrace, built entirely of wood, except the back and
end walls. The front was panelled with richly gilt
lattice work, while the eaves and ceilings were
coloured in imitation of porcelain. Behind a screen,
adorned with richly coloured carvings of birds and
flowers, sat three life-sized gilded figures on altars,
apparently of porcelain. The central figure, of
marble, represented a woman seated on a lotus, with
a flower of the lily beneath her feet ; she held forth
a naked male child, seated on one hand, and supported
by the other in front, the child's sex being strongly
marked. This was the goddess Kwanyin^ goddess
of mercy and conception, and her presence would
seem to mark the shrine as a Taouist temple. These
terraced rock-temples resembled those described by
Mr. Cooper as visited by him at Chung Ching. The
stone walls of the shrine were not carried to the roof,
but finished with wooden panelling, pierced with
circular windows of elegant tracery. These -were so
arranged that the light fell full on the seated figures.
From the centre of this terrace a narrow stair led
down to the chapel on the top of the hexagonal
tower, within which sat a fine Buddhistic figure,
with the bead in white marble tinted brown.

HAWSHUENSHAN. 213

Following a well-paved track along the hill to the
east of the valley, a ride of a quarter of a mile brought
us to the walled Chinese town of Hawshuenshan,
built on the slope of the hill. The valley is abruptly
closed in on three sides by rounded grassy hills
rising suddenly round the dead level of the centre,
then inundated for the rice crop. The south-west
side is closed by the long low range of the extinct
volcano, with a white pagoda standing out in strong
relief from its black and barren side.

Hawshuenshan had evidently been a place of great
importance, being a much larger town than Shuay-
duay, and must have contained at least three thou-
sand inhabitants. At this time a considerable number
of refugees had here found an asylum, who had fled
from the deserted villages of Shangnan, Tahinshan,
&c. We were shown an open grassy plot on the
southern outskirts of tlie town which had, only a
few months previously, been strewn with the corpses
of imperialist Chinese. /The people of Hawshuenshan
had declared against the Panthays, and joined the
Chinese partisaii fLow-quang-fang"^, on this plot they
had been attacked and defeated. As usual, no quarter
was given, and all who failed to fly were massacred,
and afterwards buried where they fell. A fine
temple overlooked a small stream running down
from Shuayduay, and which now formed a small
lake just outside the town. This water was crossed
by a- handsome stone bridge, with picturesque arcli-
ways. From this we followed a raised causeway

214 MOMIEN.

to the head of the valley, and, passing the Taho
waterfall on the left, ascended gradually four hun-
dred feet to Momien. This vale of Hawshuenshan,
though not more than two miles long by one broad,
had been once encircled by large villages, the ruins
of which still attested that before the war they must
have been places of no little wealth.

With the exception of the walled bazaar, the once
populous faubourgs of Momien had been laid in
ruins ; the heaps of bricks, the stone sides of the
ancient wells deeply grooved by rope marks, and
the long rows of detached mounds, with little grass-
grown squares, defined the position of the southern
and north-eastern suburbs. The houses of the north
occupying a smaller area, surrounded by fine gardens,
and shut in between the river and the city wall,
seemed to have escaped demolition.

Amidst the general desolation within the city walls,
two remarkable objects of art and nature stood, as it
were, memorials of the past. One was a tall whiter
washed pagoda seven stories in height, of the usual
and familiar Chinese form. The other was a magni-
ficent fir tree, which towered fully one hundred feet,
although its top had been broken by a storm; at
the height of four feet from the ground, the trunk
measured fifteen feet in circumference.

In default of other resources, we spent a good deal
of time strolling among tlie ruined temples and
monasteries, which were numerous both in the city
and suburbs ; by far the greater majority were in

THE TEMPLES AND IDOLS. 215

ruins, but a few only partially destroyed were still
tenanted by a few poor priests who, in spite of the
Mahoramedans, kept the incense burning before the
gods of their forefathers. The massive stone gate-
ways, richly carved roofs, and the elaborate decora-
tions of the altars and images, afforded proofs of a
high proficiency in art. Combinations of plants and
birds furnished many of the designs of the decora-
tions, executed either in well chiselled carvings or
richly coloured paintings. In the carvings, dragons
and monsters are frequent ; all are generally coloured,
the standard tints being red, blue, green, and yellow.
The outsides of the principal walls are frequently
decorated with medallion pictures of small animals
and birds in black, grey, and white, alternating with
squares or circles of complex geometrical figures. /As i
far as could be judged from the images of the various
deities, these temples appeared to be shrines of a
compound of Buddhism, Taouism, and Confucianism,
though no Buddhist priests were to be seen — or at
least their yellow religious garb was nowhere visible
— the priests having no distinctive costume, and living
generally in their own houses in the suburbs. The
images of the deities are nearly all life-sized, the
place of honour being occupied sometimes by one,
sometimes by three, seated on a pedestal in the centre
of the principal hall. Around the central figures are
disposed the statues of lesser deities, sages and scho-
lars. In one temple where the central images were
undoubtedly Buddhistic, the walls of the outer court

216 MOMIEN.

were surrounded by fifty life-sized male and female
figures, all seated, which seemed to represent the
army of the Thagyameng. In another the chief deity
was a colossal seated image, with a dragon at each
knee, and the body of a snakelike dragon passing
up under the double girdle, and breaking on the
breast into a number of heads, recalling tbe seven-
headed cobras of Hindoo mythology ; the head and
neck of a serpent-formed dragon issued, too, from
under eaeb armpit. Some of the female figures
are seated on lions, other forms have the heads
of bulls and birds, while four-armed figures also
occur. In the khyoung, which formed our residence,
there was a figure of Puang-ku, the creator, seated
on a bed of leaves resembling those of the sacred
padma or lotus. This remarkable four-armed
figure was life size, and naked, save for garlands of
leaves around the neck and loins. He was seated
cross-legged like Buddha, the two uppermost arms
stretched out, forming each a right angle. The right
hand held a white disc and the left a red one. The
two lower arms were in the attitude of carving, the
right hand holding a mallet and the left a chisel.
Except the Shuayduay images, which were of stone,
almost all were constructed in the following manner :
a frame of wood, making a sort of lay figure, is
roughly put together, and afterwards padded to the
proper proportions with layersofstraw wound tightly
over it ; a layer of clay is plastered over the whole,
and when dry, the flesh tints are laid on with marked

A BOYS' SCHOOL. 217

realistic truth, and the garments duly coloured. The
fact that the breast of every image of importance had
been broken open seemed to show that a jewel or gold
had been deposited therein, as is the custom in Burma.
During our stay the festival of the Goddess of
Agriculture occurred. The stem of an iris and a
branch of wild indigo were hung up over every
door, and a general holiday observed ; but nothing
else marked the occasion, save that the priests insisted
on kindling the incense in our khyouug, which act of
devotion had been on other days pretermitted for the
sake of our lungs. In one of the few khyoungs still
inhabited by priests — all of which were situated in
out-of-the-way places outside the town — I found a
boys' school conducted by an intelligent priest. A
heavy shower of rain drove me in for refuge, and the
master, who was seated at a low black desk, politely
invited me to a seat. The pupils at once left their
desks and crowded round us. A sign directing them
to resume their desks and tasks was only so far
obeyed that all began shouting their lessons at the
full pitch of their voices ; a word from the master,
however, quickly dispersed them. I produced che-
roots, and the priest sent for tea, and we chatted for
an hour. Lying on the desk was a flat piece of wood
like a gigantic paper-cutter. To explain its use, he
called up a small boy, and, taking one of his hands,
rubbed the palm with the instrument in a mysterious
way. Suddenly, however, the paper-cutter rose and
descended rapidly, tears started to the boy's eyes, but

218 MOMIEN.

were dried by a kindly word from the master, ex-
plaining that it was only an exhibition, not a punish-
ment. The boys, whose ages varied from six to
fifteen, seemed to enjoy their lessons there. The
school hours lasted from nine to five o'clock, with an
hour and a half s interval, during which each boy
purchased his dinner from a hawker of small bowls
of Chinese dainties. Every boy has his own books,
and, seated at a table, shouts his lesson aloud till he
thinks he knows it, and then proceeds to attempt to
recite it to the master, on whom he turns his back
during the repetition. They learn to write at the same
time as to read, for each boy first copies his lesson,
getting the exact pronunciation of each letter and
word from the master — thus whole books are com-
mitted to memory ; but the babel of voices during
the process is deafening, and the plan is not recom-
mended for adoption to our school boards, although
the punishment of the paper-knife might offer them
a good model for imitation. ^

One bright little Momien boy was a great
favourite; he was the pet son of the chief military
officer, who brought him, as being deaf and dumb,
in order to see what could be done. As the child
attempted to imitate sounds, he was not deaf, and
careful examination discovered that he was tongue-
tied. A successful operation removed the impedi-
ment, much to the astonishment and delight of his
father. The latter, whose title was Tah-zung-gyee,
was a fine young Panthay soldier, of rather a jovial

A GEAND FEAST. 219

temperament. He invited us to a grand feast at
his house, which was one of the few remaining
uninjured within the walls. The invitation was duly
conveyed to each on a piece of pink paper ; and at the
hour appointed — about 1 p.m. — a messenger arrived
to inform us that the feast was ready. The house was
approached through an outer court containing the
stables. It formed a large square enclosing a central
court. The principal building, facing the entrance,
was raised on a terrace about four feet high, with a
flight of steps at either end, each leading into an open
hall. From this two doors led to the women's apart-
ments. The buildings on the other three sides of the
square suggested Swiss cottages by their deep eaves
and the large latticed windows of the second floor. A
kitchen and store-rooms occupied the ground floor,
and on one side was a dovecot. The eaves of the
house were richly decorated with carvings represent-
ing landscapes with running water, bridges, and trees.
A court outside contained a very choice garden filled
with dwarf trees in vases; besides which, there were
tall crimson hollyhocks and passion flowers. Two
small stone tanks contained gold fish with remarkable
doubly divided tails ; and in one corner there was a
model roughly carved in stone of a hillside, with
caves and a pagoda. The walls of the rooms were
decorated with Chinese landscapes and pictures of
birds, in sepia and colours, which were mounted
on rollers, like maps on a school-room wall. The
entertainment, as usual, commenced with tea and

220 MOMIEN.

cakes, followed by delicious nectarines and plums ;
after which came the more solid items of the repast.
A decoction of samshoo seasoned with aromatic herbs
was handed round like a loving-cup, our host first
taking a vigorous pull, and passing it round till the
jug was emptied. The liquid was warm and rather
agreeable ; but it fell to my lot to finish the contents,
and, much to my disgust, I observed unmistakable
pieces of pork fat among the herbs and spices. Our
Mahommedan host not only drank samshoo, but
allowed his drink to be thus flavoured with pork !
He was most genial, and declared he would most
willingly bestow his sisters on us as wives ; and, in
token of friendship, presented each with a jade ring
and camellias. The women were curiously watching
the strangers from the curtained doors ; and towards
the close of the evening the host asked for remedies
for barreimess, with which some females of his house-
hold were affected. After some hesitation, the three
patients mustered courage to show themselves, and
were fine, young buxom women, with dwarfed feet.
Some disappointment was evidently experienced at
the refusal to prescribe for such patients as these.

fThe jealous reserve of the Chinese ladies was always
pleasantly contrasted by the Shan manners, which
united perfect modesty with a frank and pleasant
demeanour .J) Thus the tsawbwa-gadaw of Muangtee
visited us with her retinue of ladies. The old lady
was splendidly attired, her towering turban being-
ornamented in front with the Panthay rosette of

THE TSAWBWA-GADAW OF MUANGTEE. 221

green, blue, and pink stones set in gold, and at
the sides with little silver triangles set with small
enamelled flowers. Her skirt was richly embroidered
in silk and gold thread, and her light blue silk jacket
was trimmed with black satin, which contrasted well
with her massive gold bracelets. She wore amber
and jade finger-rings, and a handsome silver chate-
laine and richly embroidered fan-case hanging by
her side. One of her maidens carried a small Chinese
hookah, and another her embossed silver boxes of
betel-nut, &c. She was greatly pleased witli a
present of a handsome carpet, needles, scissors, &c. ;
and her maids were charmed with small circular
mirrors, which they at ouce fastened to their jackets
as ornaments. These keenzas, as they called them,
were immensely prized ; and a few days after, as I
was engaged in searching for land shells below the
city wall, one of the Shan ladies hailed me from the
battlements. The owner of the pretty face peering
over the wall was evidently begging for something,
which at first I thought was cheroots, and bade
her by signs lower down her long head-dress, in
the corner of which I tied a few cheroots, but
these proved unsatisfactory ; and the word keenza,
keenza, at last made it plain that the young Shan
lady wanted a mirror, and one had to be brought
and sent up to her; and her glee was most amusing
when she pulled ap the cloth and found the keenza
and a packet of needles. Compared to the pretty faces
and picturesque attire of these Shan maidens, the

222 MOMIEN.

dress and appearance of the Chinese women was very
miserable. All the women who appeared in the
streets were ugly and ill-clad, though the children
had chubby, red cheeks. The majority wore pork-
pie hats. All except the slaves had their feet
dwarfed, and wore Dutch-like clogs in the rainy
weather. The costume consisted of trousers, drawn
tight round the ankle, a long loose blue garment,
and a large blue double apron in front. Notwith-
standing the dwarfed feet, the women walked to
market three or four miles, carrying heavy loads,
and seemed to think nothing of shouldering two
buckets of water, slung to a bamboo. Every day
our khyoung was besieged by crowds of beggars
of all ages, from little ragged urchins to old men and
women bent with age. Their rags and filth defied
description, and sordid poverty in various degrees
characterised all the wretched inhabitants of the
ruined suburbs that surrounded the almost empty
city. It must seem wearisome to harp upon the
utter desolation and ruin that had resulted from
the long continuous warfare, and the reader may
prefer to gather some information as to the rebel-
lious Mahommedan Chinese and their doings.

OEIGIN OP YUNNAN MAHOMMEDANS. 223

CHAPTER Viri.

THE MAHOMMEDANS OF YUNNAN.

Their origin — Derivation of the term "Panthay" — Early history —
Increase in numbers — Adoption of children — The Toonganees —
Physical characteristics — Outbreak of the revolt — Tali-fu — Progress
of revolt — The French expedition — Overtures from Low-quang-
fang — Eesources of the Panthays — Capture of Yunnan-fu —
Prospects of their success — Our position- — The governor's presents
— Preparations for return.

The Mahommedans of Yunnan have a tradition of
their origin, which is curious, but mythical. The
governor and the hadji at Momien stated, in sub-
stance, that their forefathers came from Arabia to
China one thousand years ago, in the reign of the
emperor Tung-huon-tsong, who had sent his chief
minister, Khazee, to Tseeyoog (?) to implore help
against the rebel Oung-loshan. Three thousand men
were accordingly sent, and the rebellion was crushed
by their assistance. Their former compatriots refused
to receive them back, as having been defiled by
a residence among pork-eating infidels, so they
settled in China, and became the progenitors of the
Chinese Mahommedans. This information was fur-
nished in the form of answer to questions put by me

224 THE MAHOMMEDAKS OF YUNNAN.

carefully written, and translated into Chinese, and
Sladen also procured a Chinese document, giving
substantially the same account.* It will be seen that
the variations of this from the account furnished
to Greneral Fytche are important;! but as the name
of the emperor Tung-huon-tsong differs but slightly
from that of Hiun-tsong of the Tung dynasty, against
whom Ngan-LoshanJ rebelled, it seems possible to
connect this account with Chinese history. His son
Sutsung, A.D. 757, was rescued from his difficulties
by the arrival of an embassy from the khalif Abu
Jafar al Mansur, the founder of Bagdad, accom-
panied by auxiliary troops, who were joined by
Ouigoors and other forces from the West. It must
be added that my informants, while claiming Arab
descent, stated clearly that their more immediate
ancestors had migrated from Shensi and Kansu to
Yunnan about one hundred and fifty years ago.
History, however, shows the early growth and rapid
increase in China of a large Mahommedan popula-
tion, whom the Chinese term Hwait-ze ; the name
Panthay or Pansee being of Burmese origin.

As to the derivation of this term, several theories
have been suggested. Major Sladen gives Puthee as a
Burmese term for Mahommedans generally. Garnier
says that the word Pha-si, which the Burmese have
corrupted into Pan-the, according to Colonel Phayre,
is the same as Parsi or Farsi, which in India is

* Vide Appendix II. f ' As. Soc. Proceedings,' 1867, p. 176.
t Du Halde, i. p. 199.

DEEIVATION OF "PANTHAY." 225

applied to the Mahommedans, and that this denomi-
nation is very ancient, as Colonel Yule pointed
out that in a description of the kingdom of Cam-
bodia, translated by A. Remusat, a religious sect is
described, called Passi, who were distinguished by
wearing white or red turbans, and by refusing to
drink intoxicating liquors, or to eat in company with
the other sects ; but that distinguished Chinese
scholar, Sir T. Wade, derives the term Panthay from
a Chinese word Pun-tai, signifying the aboriginal or
oldest inhabitants of a country ; and Grarnier men-
tions that a people called Pen-ti are found on the
eastern side of the Tali Lake, and in the plain of
Tang-tchonen, to the north of Tali. They are a
mixed race, descended from the first colonists sent
into Yunnan by the Mongols, after the conquest of
the country by the generals of Kublai Khan.

Mr. Cooper tells us that the term Pa-chee, or white
flag party, as distinguished from the Hung-chee,
or red flag, or imperialists, was also used to desig-
nate the rebels in the north of Yunnan, and Grarnier
frequently applies these terms to the contending
parties. The termination -ze in the name Hwait-ze,
as in Mant-ze, Thibetans, Miaout-ze, hill tribes, and
Khwait-ze, foreigners, seems always to imply political
and tribal separation from Chinese proper. These
names occur in the curious prophecy of the Four -Ze
Wars, quoted by Cooper.*

* ' Pioneer of Commerce,' p. 352.

226 THE MAHOMMEDANS OF YUNNAN.

From the account of China compiled in the middle
of the ninth century -by Abu Zaid, from the reports
of Arab traders, it is evident that his countrymen
had long resorted to China. Even then the Arab
community of Hang-chew-fu (Khanfu) was of great
importance : it possessed a separate judge, appointed
by the emperor of China, and we are told that the
Mahommedan, Christian, Jewish, and Parsee popula-
tion massacred in a.d. 878 numbered one hundred
and twenty thousand. Mahommedanism was little
known among the Tartars before the time of Cheng-
is-khan, but his conquests were the means of bring-
ing a considerable population of Uigurs into Shensi
and Kansu ; and the faith of the Prophet had spread
amongst this tribe long before the Tartar conquest of
China.

The vigorous trading and political intercourse
subsisting between China and their mother country
kept alive the religious life and social individuality
of these immigrants. This large addition of popula-
tion to their co-religionists already derived from the
contingents of the khalifs, and the Arab traders,
accounts for the number of Mahommedans which
Marco Polo noted during his residence in China
(1271-1295). In his description of the people on
the western border of Shensi, where the celebrated
mart of Singui was situated, and his account of
Singan, and Carajan, a part of Yunnan, he describes
the Mahommedans as forming a considerable part
of the foreign population.

EAELY HISTOEY. 227

How strong a position this sect had obtained
under the reign of Kublai appears from Marco
Polo's statement that the provincial governments
were entrusted to Tartars, Christians, and Mahom-
medans. The invasion of Burma and the sieges of
Singan and Fun-ching were entrusted to Mahom-
medan generals. The story of Bailo Achmed, the
great minister of finance, is the most striking illus-
tration of the Mahommedan influence, although the
discovery of his crimes brought the klian's anger
upon the Saracens, and led to their being prohibited
the practices as to marriage and slaughter of animals,
enjoined by their religion. This check could only
have been temporary, and as we find Mahommedans
filling high places of trust, both civil and military,
it can be fairly conjectured that after the conquest
of Yimnan these enterprising soldiers and traders
established themselves in the colonies planted in the
new province.

In the early part of the fourteenth century,
Rashid-ood-deen, Yizier of Persia, mentions Kara-
jang or Yunnan province, and states that the inhabi-
tants were all Mahommedans. Ibn Batuta, who
visited China in the middle of the same century,
found in every large town Mahommedans, who were
mostly rich merchants. In all the provinces there
was a town belonging to them, each of which usually
possessed a mosque, market, a cell for the poor, and
a kadi and sheikh ul Islam, while in some districts
they were exceedingly numerous.

Q 2

228 THE MAHOMMEDANS OF TUNNAN.

The Jesuit fathers, in the seventeenth century,
make frequent mention of the Chinese Mahommedans.
Le Compte, writing to Cardinal de Bouillon in 1680,
says, " that they had been six hundred years iu the
country undisturbed, because they quietly enjoyed
their liberty without seeking to propagate their
religion, even by marriages, out of their own kindred,
even in places where they were most numerous, and
longest settled, as in the provinces north of the
Hoang Ho, and iu towns along the canal, where they
had built mosques, differing altogether from Chinese
architecture. They were regarded as foreigners, and
frequently insulted by the Chinese."

The oppression to which they were subjected after
the second Tartar conquest began to show itself as
early as the beginning of the eighteenth century,
when their mosques were destroyed by the populace
of Hang-chow in Hu-quang province, notwithstand-
ing the efforts of the magistrates to protect them.
At an earlier period, however, about 1651, they had
been deprived by the Tartar emperor, Chunchi, of
the honours enjoyed by some of their number in
connection with the Board of Mathematics. This
change of policy, thus begun, caused a rebellion,
which broke out in the reign of Kien-hung, 1765-71,
on the western frontier, and spread to the province
of Kansu, The rebels resisted the imperial forces with
great valour, but were ultimately subdued. The
Abbe G-rosier, writing subsequently to this event,
says, "that for some time past the Mahommedans

ADOPTION OF CHILDEEN. 229

seem to have been more particularly attentive to the
care of extending their sect." *

The method they resorted to was the free use of
their wealth in purchasing children to bring up as
Mahommedans. During the terrible famine which
devastated the province of Quaugtong in 1790, they
purchased ten thousand children from poor parents ;
these were educated, and, when grown up, provided
with wives and houses, whole villages being formed
of these converts. This system has been followed
by them to the present day, so that large numbers
of the faithful are of Chinese origin ; and we found
instances of it at Momien. According to Grarnier, the
sultan of Tali was a Chinese orphan, adopted and edu-
cated by a wealthy Mahommedan, Yunnan appears,
from the Pekin Gazette, to have been the scene of
almost incessant insurrections from 1817 to 1834,
attributable, in all probability, to the Mahommedan
element in the population. During one rebellion,
in 1828, the leader had an imperial seal engraved,
and issued manifestoes summoning the people to
join his standard. At the same time, the mixed popu-
lations of this province appear to have been always
distinguished by an independent and insubordinate
spirit, which often defied the central authority. Some
towns were even governed by elective municipal
councils, only nominally ruled by the mandarins.

Grutzlaff mentions that during his residence in

* Grosier's ■ ' China,' vol. iv. p. 270.

230 THE MAHOMMEDANS OF YUNNAN.

China, in 1825-1832, they had several mosques in
Chekiang, PechiH, Shensi, and Shansu ; but as they
had occasionally joined the rebels of Turkistan, the
government viewed them with a jealous eye. Never-
theless, some of their number filled offices of high
trust. He also states that many of them performed
the pilgrimage to Mecca, and brought back Arabian
MSS. of the Koran, which a few could read imper-
fectly, that they were by no means bigoted nor pro-
selytising, and that they venerated Confucius. These
Mahommedans of Northern China and Turkistan
include the people called Toonganees, who are said
to trace their origin to a large body of Uigurs, who
were transplanted to the vicinity of the North Wall,
under the rule of the Thang dynasty, between the
seventh and tenth centuries. These settlers were
encouraged to intermarry with the Chinese women,
and after this, when, following the example of their
fellow tribesmen, they embraced Islam, they still
retained this practice, although careful to bring up
all their children in the Faith. Though a mixed
race, they are distinguished from both Manchoos and
Chinese by their intelligent countenances and superior
strength. They have always evinced special apti-
tude for mercantile speculations, like their southern
brethren. They have also shown themselves to be
excellent warriors in the successful rebellion of
Turkistan, and that which broke out in 1861 in
Kansu, and under Abdul Jaffier threatened to be as
successful as the revolt of Yunnan.

PHYSICAL CHAKACTEEISTICS. 231

In the course of the present century, the Faithful
appear to have multipHed in Yunnan more rapidly
than in the northern provinces. Colonel Burney
tells us that in 1831 almost the whole of the Chinese
traders who visited the Burmese capital were
Mahommedans, except a few who imported hams,
^ome of them could speak a little Arabic, and one
read to him passages from the Koran ; but none of
them could tell him whence they derived their origin, |

As far as appearance goes, there are strong traces
of descent from a non-Chinese and, we may say,
Turkish stock visible among the present Mahom-
medans of Western China; Gamier remarks that
"the Mussulmans of Arab origin are tolerably nu-
merous, and many are to be met with who manifest
very markedly the principal traits of Arabs, some ^ ,■ ]
preserving the ancestral type in great purity. /^ But p u^jj
the majority cannot be readily distinguished from Sc-^'-.'-^-'r
Chinese, except by their superior stature, greater £>'^ /-w^'V-
physical strength, and more energetic physiognomies,"! 'S-- -^y" '
Although they only contract matrimonial alliances n

with those of their own creed, they commonly take
Chinese women as concubines. Hence a large in-
fusion of Chinese blood, notwithstanding which they
have preserved almost, all the warlike qualities of
their ancestors." Mr^M^ooper describes a merchant
who called upon him as " a splendid specimen of the
Yunnan Mahommedan, standing over six feet; his
countenance was singularly haughty and noble, and
his manner peculiarly gentle and dignified." His long

/

232 THE MAHOMMEDANS OF YUNNAN.

black moustache and hair, hanging in a huge tail
almost to the ground, are also particularly noticed.

The leading men met with by us at Momien were
well-made, athletic, and of a goodly height, the
governor standing six feet three inches. They were
fair-skinned, with high cheek-bones, and slightly
oblique eyes, their cast of countenance being quite
distinct from the Chinese. In fact, the general type
of face recalled that of the traders who come down
to Calcutta from Bokhara and Herat. They generally
wore moustaches, but depilated the rest of the face,
while their long hair was coiled in the folds of huge
white turbans. The only other distinctive article of
dress was a bright orange-coloured waistband, which
usually supported a silver-mounted dagger. As a
rule they abstained from intoxicating drink, and
smoking opium or tobacco ; but some were lax in
these particulars. Our strict Mussulmans rather
despised them for laxity in worship as well, and the
native doctor, who was a fanatic, declared that they
were not true believers at all. On the whole,
the conclusion which may be fairly arrived at
as to their origin is, that to the descendants of a
possible Arab stock have been added a consider-
able number of Turkish emigrants, who, in truth,
constitute the main origin of the Mahommedan popu-
lation in Yunnan. /A number of Chinese proper have
from time to time "been added to this community,
which, in all places, seems to have included the
wealthiest and best class of the populationT] The

OUTBEEAK OF THE EEVOLT. 233

rebellion in Yunnan eeems to have been brought
about solely by the oppression to which the Mahom-
medans were subjected by the mandarins. Their
proud independent spirit would not brook the
tyranny and extortion universally practised by the
official class, from which they were excluded. /-The
mandarins, according to their wont, secretly hounded
the mob on to their rich and respectable enemies, riots ^
were provoked, and their mosques were destroyed,
as at Momien, where a handsome building, con-
structed after plans brought home from Mecca, had
existed before the warij Thus their religious hatred
was aroused, as the ruined temples and Buddhist
monasteries testified, and both interest and revenge
for insults to their religion led to a universal . and
well-planned rising. As the insurrection which
broke out in 1855 spread, the Chinese towns and
villages which resisted were pillaged, and the male
population massacred ; while the women were spared
to minister to the passions of the undisciplined
soldiery, and children were captured to be brought
up as Mussulmans ; but all the places which yielded
were spared.

That the country suffered terribly in the struggle
was proved to us by the mute evidence of the
deserted towns and villages, and from the most
southern border of the province to the farthest north
we have the reports of eye-witnesses of the fearful '
devastation, ^he contending parties invoked the^s
aid of the hill tribes^ such as the Lolos, Lou-tse, and

234 THE MAHOMMEDANS OF YUNNAN.

Kakhyens, and these had to be rewarded for their
services by licensed pillage. Thus it happened that
places on the debatable borders were pillaged three
times over, by the Red Flag, by the White Flag, and
by the marauders. (Jn this way the towns of Sanda
and Muangla had been plundered by the Kakhyens
after the Panthay invasion .7 The officers at Momien
told many stories of the conduct of their soldiers,
which spoke volumes of the misery brought on the
peaceful inhabitants; but the Chinese soldier is, by
all accounts, as dangerous in peace to the towns on
which he is billeted as any enemy could be, and
scenes of violence and outrage accompany the march
of the undisciplined ruffians under the imperial
banners wherever they go.

The exact order of events which led to the esta-
blishment of the Mahommedan kingdom is some-
what uncertain ; we could not, for want of inter-
preters, gain trustworthy information. In the account
of the French expedition,* M. Garnier refers the com-
mencement of the rebellion to an outbreak of the
Mahommedans, the cause of which is not stated,
and describes them as having instigated a riot in
1856, and pillaged the city of Yunnan-fu. The
imperial authorities thereupon determined to rid
themselves of these intractable subjects by a general
massacre, which was ordered to take place on a
given day. This commenced at Hoching, a town

* ' Voyage d'Exploration,' tome i. p. 455, &c.

TALI-FU. 235

between Li-kiaiig-fu and Tali-fa, when upwards of
a thousand Mahommedans were murdered; while
similar treacherous massacres followed in different
places. / A simple bachelor or literatus of Moung-ho,
named Tu-win-tsen or Dowinsheow, a Chinese orphan
who had been adopted by Mahommedans, rallied
his coreligionists.^ His followers at first numbered
only forty, but their ranks were speedily joined by
fugitives from Hoching, Yung-pe, and other places,
till with_six hundred men he attacked the ancient
andvholy city of Tali-fu, which surrendered in 1857.
AlthougTi'Tali-fu is a small town, the population of ^
which did not at that time exceed thirty-five thou-.,
sand, the rich plain walled in by mountains, and<?
with a lake teeming with fish, stretching forty miles
in length and ten in breadth, maintained a popula-
tion estimated before the war at four hundred thou-
sand. Garnier states that there were one hundred and
fifty villages, but the Old Resident numbers them
at two hundred and fifty-three. The mountains to
the north and south close in upon the lake, and the
plain and city are accessible only by two strongly
fortified passes, Hiang-kwang and Hia-kwang, or,
as the Burmese call them, Shangwan and Shagwan.
CThus Tali has been from the earliest times a strong
city ; it was the capital of a kingdom at the invasion
of Kublai Khan, and is still regarded by the i
Thibetans, who make pilgrimages to its vicinity, 'I
as the ancient home of their forefathers.^ The
Mahommedans made it their head-quarters, and it

236 THE MAHOMMEDANS OF YIESTNAN.

seemed likely again to become the capital of an
independent kingdom. LTheir success was facilitated
by the jealousy which existed between the pure
Chinese, mainly descended from immigrants from
Sz-chuen, and the iMinkiapand Penti mixed races,
descended from the early colonists planted by the
Mongols, and probably by the later Tartar dynasty
in 1679. J These tribes, inhabiting the eastern plains
of Tali and other adjacent districts, were despised, as
being sprung from intermarriage with the Shan and
barbarous races, by the Chinese, as the true Creoles '
looked down upon any in whose veins ran negro
blood.* J Hence they stood aloof in the struggle
between the Chinese and the Mahommedans ; the
latter even succeeded in occupying Yunnan-fu for
a short time, but were speedily expelled. [^A local
revolt, however, was organised there by a Mahom-
medan hadji of great repute, called Lao-papa, who
assassinated the viceroy Pang, and was proclaimed
emperor or sultan, but enjoyed his dignity a very
short time. Another Mahommedan, named Mar-kien,
who, before the war, had been a seller of barley-
sugar, but had become a soldier, and took the
imperialist side, subdued Lao-papa in 1861, and
established the authority of another Lao, who had
been appointed viceroy. Ma-kien was named ti-tai,
or commander of the forces, but an oflScer called
Leang, in the south of the province, refused to obey

* ' Voyage d'ExpIoration,' tome i. p. 618.

PEOGEESS OP EEVOLT. 237

his orders, and a little civil war ensued between their
respective partisans. The Mahommedans took ad-
vantage of this division in the camp of the enemy
to consolidate their power under their elected chief,
Tu-win-tsen, who was proclaimed sultan, or imam^
in the yeat^l^&7. ^'Momie^had been captured three
years before our visit, and the Shan states on the
Tapeng brought uader the Mahommedan king, whose
authority extended over a considerable portion of
the province. In the beginning of 1868, the French
found the government at Yunnan-fa administered
ad interim by a mandarin of the blue button, named
Song, the viceroy Lao having recently died, and his
successor, though appointed, not having ventured to
assume the perilous post. The office of commander-
in-chief was filled by Ma-kien, supported by a staff
of Mahommedan officers, whose costume and phy-
siognomy marked them as different from the Chinese.
Lao-papa also resided in Yunnan, invested with rank
and honours, as the religious head of all the Mahom-
medans.* It does not appear how this could be recon-
ciled with_ the religious authority of Sultan Suleiman,
and it is plain that the Mahommedans were them*
selves divided into two parties. i'

It is interesting to compare this account with*
that derived by Mr. Cooper from information fur-
nished him in the north of the province as to the
rebelHous attitude assumed by the imperial viceroy,

* ' Voyage d'Exploration,' tome i. p. 455.

238 THE MAHOMMEDANS OP YUNNAN.

himself a Mahommedan proselyte, who had actually
concluded a treaty of partitition with the sultan of
Tali, and corrupted the imperial troops sent to quell
the revolt with funds furnished by the sultan. We
do not, however, possess such information as will
enable us to reconcile the two accounts which present
so many points of agreement and difference. ) By a
curious coincidence, that most enterprising traveller,
having been turned back by the impossibility of
penetrating to Tali, was detained at Weisee-fu, one
hundred and twenty miles distant, at the very time
of our stay at Momien. / The utter want of communica-
tion kept us in perfect ignorance of his being com-
paratively so near at hand, and he was equally un-
aware of our presence in Western Yunnan. Our
information as to the passage of the French mission
was, if anything, worse, as an obstructive falsehood
is perhaps more aggravating than complete ignorance.
During the first week of July the governor communi-
cated the information that some six or eight months
previously the French expedition had come into
collision with hostile tribes in the vicinity of Kiang-
hung, and had suffered severe losses ; some of their
number had perished, and the remainder had arrived
in a state of exhaustion and want at a place called
Thela, where they had been kindly received. This
information he declared to be authentic, and furnished
by a relative of his own, resident at Thela, who had
purchased some of the arms and other property taken
from the French. As at that time the last news

THE FRENCH EXPEDITION. 239

received some time before our departure from
Burma had stated the party to be at Kiang-tong
or Xiang-tong, a Laotian state tributary to Burma,
we could not help fearing that some disaster must
have befallen them. The statement may have been
a distorted account of the detention experienced by
the French before reaching Kiang-hung, and the
fact that they were obliged to reduce their baggage,
some of the articles referred to as proof positive by
the Panthays having perhaps come from the super-
fluous stores, given or bartered away to the Laotians.
fit does, as M. Grarnier remarks, appear improbable
that the governor, who was a trusted officer of the
sultan, should have received no information as to the
visit to Tali-fu of the party in the month of March
preceding.* l On the other hand, it is difficult to
imagine any reason for his suppression of his know-
ledge of it, unless he feared that we should be thereby
inclined to mistrust the letters from the sultan. /As
regards G-arnier's theory that the apparent welcome
given to us was intended to do away with any un-
favourable impression which might have been pro-
duced in the minds of foreigners by the sultan's
refusal to see the French party, and ordering their
instant departure, it is much more probable that
the French were regarded with strong suspicion, and
taken for spies/j The fact that they had travelled
under Pekin passports, and had been guests of the

* ' Voyage d'Exploration,' tome i. p. 514, note.

240 THE MAHOMMEDANS OP YUNNAN.

Yiceroy^d interim at Yunnan-fu, was not in their
favour ; but worse than that was their connection
with the French missionaries), who were everywhere
most hostile to the Mahommedan cause. One of
their number had been engaged in the sacerdotal
task of manufacturing gunpowder for the viceroy,
and had been blown up by his own petard; others
had forwarded a memorial by the medium of the
French minister to the emperor in favour of Ma-
kien, as the only man capable of saving the pro-
vince from the rebels. An imperial reply to this,
promising to aid him with troops and supplies, was
received before Grarnier left Yunnan. It is more
than probable that this was known to the authorities
at Tali, and, even independently of the circumstance
narrated by Mr. Cooper, would have operated against
a cordial reception of the French visitors.

At our first entrance into the country, without any
passports whatever, we^ as commercial explorers, had
appealed to the existing authorities, and had refused
to advance until their safe-conduct had been received.
Our neutrality between the two contending parties
had been most carefully sifted by letters and envoys
before we were made welcome at Momien, and little
more than a week after our arrival it was tested, if
not by the contrivance, certainly with the knowledge,
of the governor. One evening Moung Shuay Yah,
in a mysterious manner, made known the presence
of an important visitor, namely, an officer sent by
Low-quang-fang, the officer who, in conjunction with

OVERTUEES FROM LOW-QUANG-PANG. 241

Li-sieh-tai, supported the imperial cause. He had
brought a pony as a gift, and desired to make
our friendship, and provide us with a safe escort
on the return route, always provided we were un-
accompanied by the Panthays. Our leader declined
an interview, and refused the pony, stating that we
were guests of the governor, and as such could not
confer with his enemies, except with his consent.
We soon learned that the governor was aware of
the mission of this envoy, and tha;^ in__course_of
time a treaty was signed by which Low-quang-fang
undertook not to attack the Panthay~~possessions,
,or molest us on our return, and was to be left un-
disturbed in the possession of a small customs post ;
whether this was a ruse on the part of the Chinese
partisans to win our support, or of the Panthays
to sound our real opinions, it is impossible to say.'
At all events, it confirmed the conviction of the"
governor in our good faith. The terms of the
agreement, if true, were another proof o£_the^nxiety
of the Panthays to re-open the western trade routes,
to which we doubtless mainly.' owed our friendly
reception.

Gfarnier remarks that they had all along found '
it essential to keep open the trade with Sz-chuen,
and Mr. Cooper found Mahommedan merchants un-
molested in Chinese Yunnan. /The king of Burma,
not only as an ally, but as a tributary of China,
could not recognise the rebel sultan, nor enter into
political or commercial relations with him.1 The

242 THE MAHOMMEDANS OP YUNNAN.

sultan, who had visited BiaDgooii_and felcutta as a__
pilgrim to Mecca, may well have teen_di?p^ed__to
court the favour of those Feringhees whose power
and wealth he had witnessed in the City of Palaces.
It is possible that the hospitable governor of Momien
was only amusing his guests with complimentary
mockeries, and that there was no intention of suffer-
ing us to proceed to Tali, and see the real state of
things in the interior, the desolation of the province,
and the scanty forces at the disposal of the new
power. Subsequent events have shown the instability
of the Panthay kingdom as soon as a regular and
determined attack was made on it by the imperial
government; but as regards their then condition,
with the utmost respect for the memory of that distin-
guished explorer. Lieutenant Grarnier, it is impossible
to overlook the fact that he was strongly prejudiced
against the Panthays, by their treatment of him, as
well as by the French missionaries, one of whom
speaks of the " detested yoke of the Mahommedans."
[jGrarnier even attributes the closing of the western
traffic to the robberies of the Kakhyens and the
arbitrary oppression of the Panthays; who were,
as our observation showed, doing all they could to
encourage the Burmese and Shans to carry on the
former traffic.^ It is possible that we were prejudiced
by kindness, and misled by outward appearances of
strength ; but whatever the cause of the origin and
progress of this rebellion, it is certain that from the
outset the rebels met with little direct resistance from

EESOURCES OF THE PANTHAY8. 243

the imperial authorities, and the officials, with their
few adherents, were gradually driven from the fertile
valleys of Western Yunnan to more inaccessible
fastnesses ; thence they still maintained a guerilla
warfare, neither side ever bringing anything like
a large or well-appointed army into the field. UThe <
imperialist commanders, such as Li-sieh-tai and Low-
quang-fang, who were designated robber chiefs by
the Panthays, althoughjreallj officials of the Pekin
government, could only harass their enemies by
desultory attacks. Their followers, if captured, were 1
speedily tried and executed as robbers. We witnessed
more than sixteen executions of these poor wretches.
The criminal was led to the outskirts of the bazaar
by a small escort, with music and banners flying,
and, with his hands tied behind his back, was made
to kneel by the side of the road. The executioner
chopped off the head usually at one blow ; the body
was buried on the spot, and the ghastly headihungi
up by the gate of the town.

The superior prowess of the Panthays and the
unanimity of their councils, directed by the sultan
of Tali-fu, were apparently carrying all before
thetn. [During our stay at Momien, news was
brought, apparently authentic, of the capture by his
army of_the^ great_cit;;^_of Yunnan-fu. | The con-
dition of Central Yunnan may be imagined from the
statements made in the proclamation announcing the
fall of the capital. In it are enumerated forty towns
and one hundred villages as having been taken and

R 2

244 THE MAHOMMEDANS OF YUNNAN.

destroyed, and upwards of three hundred persons
being burned to death ; while the losses of the
Chinese, in various fights, amounted to over twenty
thousand men. The communications were, however,
interrupted by constant fighting on the road between
Momien and Yung-chang, two out of three mes-
sengers, with despatches from Tali, being killed, while
the Mahommedan convoys of specie, and presents
sent from the sultan to us, were stopped at Sheedin,
near Yung-chang. During our stay, a force of some
hundreds of so-called soldiers, commanded by our
friend, the chief military officer, or tah-zung-gyee,
marched to repel an attack on the town and mines
of Khyto ; and as proofs of a victory gained by them
within a few days, two hundred ears were sent into
Momien, while they owned to a loss of forty men.

Although the Panthays were merciless in warfare
— only those inhabitants of the towns and villages
who at once tendered their submission being spared —
they were desiroTis^f_establishing a firm and orderly,
government: in_all cases their officers protected the
passage of merchants, and dealt much more justly
by them than the mandarins had been accustomed
to do ; this was admitted by the Chinese and Shans,
who, though outwardly submissive, were at heart
thoroughly opposed to the new regime. Similar
testimony is borne by the two travellers already
quoted, as regards the caravans trading with
Sz-chueu and Thibet. [^ It seemed at this period
almost certain that Yunnan would become an in-

OUE POSITION. 245

dependent kingdom, if indeed Sz-chuen and the
northern provinces were not also formed into a
great Mahommedan empire, and the same idea is ,
recorded by Mr. Cooper, as having been the result of'
his observations of the state of the country to the''
north. J

For us, however, to attempt to advance was im-
possible ; even if progress had been safe, it would
have been impolitic. Whether our presence at Momien
was an infraction of the Chinese treaty or no, it was
made necessary if any information as to the real
state of the country was to be obtained, and this
had been the principal object of the expedition set
forth in the instructions.

[^The reader is earnestly requested to bear in mind
that politically, socially, and almost geographically,
this border land of China had been almost a terra
incognita before our arrival at Momien. J We realised
the fact that we were in China indeed, but in a pro-
vince which the rebellion had almost converted nnto
an independent kingdom ; and from which it seemed
almost certain that the lingering remains of obedience
to the emperor at Pekin would be soon thoroughly
erased. Our leader was, therefore, very soon desirous
of effecting a return, but the governor, on variousjpre-
texts of securing our safety and communicating with
I'ali, postponed our departure ; and this although he
insisted on supplying the whole party with all neces-
saries during the whole time . of our stay. The
kindly Tah-sakon was really busy preparing as good

246 THE MAH0MMEDAN8 OF YUNNAN.

a display of presents to his English friends as he
could. (^As de facto ruler of the country, we arranged
with him the duties which should be levied on future
caravans, and received letters expressive of the de-
sire of the Panthay sultan's government to enter into
friendly relations with our government, and to foster
mutual tradeH The governor asked for and obtained
two seals, wherewith to authenticate his future letters,
and gave in exchange an official seal and a vase of
red ink, the use of which would, he said, ensure the
safe delivery of any letters forwarded to him.

Our farewell visits were exchanged on the lltb of
July, and the good-natured governor, who was most
sincerely sorry to part with his guests, brought his '
presents. These consisted of seventy white jackets
and bamboo hats for our men, a mandarin's full dress
suit, figured silk jackets, three fine straw hats covered
with oilcloth for our wear in the rain, silver mounted
daggers and spears, a gold and jade chatelaine, and
amber rosaries. The mandarin's suit was his own,
and he had previously insisted on taking off the
rings from his fingers, and placing them in the same
order on the fingers of his " English friend," whom
he begged always to wear them for his sake.

Our departure was fixed for the 12th of July, the
last advice of the governor being that we should not
loiter en route, and only pass one night at each stage.
/A body of troops were to precede and another to
follow in our rear; as a further precaution it_had
been decided not to employ mules but coolies to carry

PEEPARATIONS FOE EETUEN. 247

the baggage, as the engagement of mules would have
given some da js' warning to_ the hostile Chinese; for
the same reason the porters had not been engaged
till the last — so that our anticipated start was delayed
by the insufficiency of porters, and the need of
cutting up old rafters to make poles for the few
who did appear, J The governor was very wroth with
his officers, and one of them, an- old Chinese, not a
Panthay, pleaded in excuse that we were carrying
away a number of boxes filled with mud, and worth-
less weeds and skins — tbe pursuit of natural history
was by no means appi'eciated by the people, except
by the Kakhyens, who were ready enough to bring
any sort of animal or reptile they could catch. The
same Chinese official tried to represent that we were
carrying back a number of boxes of powder. As his
object was evidently to make delays and mischief,
other officials were appointed to superintend our
departure, and Sladen thought it right to remove
any possible ill-feeling from the kindly governor's
mind by showing him that the stock of ammunition
was only as much as was needful for the escort ; and
we parted on the best terms.

248. THE SANDA VALLEY.

CHAPTBE IX.

THE SANDA VALLEY.

Departure from Momien — Eobbers surprised — At Nantin — Our ponies
stolen — We slide to Muangla — A pleasant meeting — The Tapeng
ferrymen — A valley landscape — Negotiations at Sanda — The Lee-
saws — A Shan cottage — Buddhist khyoungs — Tor fear of the
nats — The limestone hill — Hot springs of Sanda — The footprint
of Buddha — A priestly thief — The excommunication — The chief's
farewell — Floods and landslips — Manwyne priests — A Shan dinner
party — The nunnery — Departure from Manwyne — The Slough of
Despond.

At tlie last our departure from Momien seemed
doubtful, owing to the difficulty of finding porters,
and men were forcibly impressed into the service.
Any demur as to a particular box or complaint of the
weight of their loads was silenced by a torrent of
abuse from the Panthays, who, to these persuasives,
sometimes added severe blows. About 8 a.m. on
July 13 th we started, waving our adieus to the
governor, who had come out on the town wall to
bid us farewell. The guard gave him a feeble cheer
in Hindustani, which they again repeated as we
marched out of the bazaar gate and set our faces
westwards. Two Panthay officers, who had been
our constant visitors, accompanied us for nearly a

EOBBEES SURPEISED. 249

mile, and at parting they burst into tears. After we
had gone a long way, and turned back to take a last
look at Momien, we saw the two figures, standing
on the same spot, gazing wistfully after us.

Ill a short time it began to rain in torrents, and
the roads became very slippery, especially for men
carrying heavy loads, so that we soon went ahead of
the porters. At the descent into the Nantin valley,
the road was as if it had been well oiled. Ponies
and pedestrians slid down the steep hill-path in wild
confusion, many of the party coming to serious grief.
A little Chinese girl, who had been presented to the
jemadar and his wife, as a return for his exertions in
the mosque services, accompanied us, tied in a small
bamboo chair on a pony. As the beast was quite
at liberty to choose his own course, the terror and
screams of the small neophyte were most piteous.
At the scene of the attack made on the upward
journey — marked still by some of our empty boxes —
we passed the bodies of two men who_had been
recently killed and cast on the roadside. LHalting at '
the hot spring to wait for the porters, we learned
that these were_the corpses of Chinese,i:£iLbbers,_who
had been caught, by the PanthayyangiJ^^dj^rouching
in the jungle with long spears, ready to stick the first
mule passing, and had been summarily disposed of
by them. ', Near Nantin all were requested to wait
and allow the rearguard to close up, as we were
about to pass a favourite lurking-place for robbers.

"We formed a long line, with Panthay soldiers before

250 THE SANDA VALLEY.

and behind, and, with gongs beating ahead, marched
unscathed into Nantin, which was reached by six
o'clock. Our former residence, the khyoung, was
found to be already tenanted by a Panthay guard
and a Kakhyen tsawbwa groaning with fever. A
dose of sulphate of magnesia, followed up with qui-
nine, secured to him sleep and to ourselves quiet, as
far as he was concerned; but we were kept on the
look-out, as the baggage arrived in detachments, much
of it, including bedding, not turning up till the next
day, and some articles, such as a portable bedstead,
and a magazine box, not appearing at all. The
governor came to greet us in the evening, attended
by a guard, one of whom carried a huge gauze lantern
swung from a tripod. He was full of regrets that he
had not been apprised of our coming, so as to have
prepared comfortable quarters, and met us on the
way. The Hotha tsawbwa did not appear, according
to his promise, and was reported to be still in his
own valley, and his absence prevented us from adopt-
ing the embassy route across Shuemuelong into
Hotha valley. JJts-4t^ afterwards appeared that the
irrepressible(Li-sieh-tai and his troops had taken up
their quarters in a strong post on the Shuemuelong
mountain, it was just as well that this route was not
attempted."^ | We found ourselves accordingly obliged
to retrace the former road to Muangla, Sanda, and
Manwyne.

The pleasing news reached us that a party of
one hundred Burmese had arrived in Muangla, sent

OUR PONIES STOLEN. 251

from Bhamo in charge of a remittance of five thou-
sand rupees, and to escort us back to that place ; so
that, notwithstanding all the discomforts of our
quarters, all turned in well pleased and prepared to
make an early start for Muangla.

Our morning slumbers were rudely broken by one
of the police, who reported concisely, " Of the three
ponies, not one is left." During the night thieves had
made a hole in the wall of the courtyard just large
enough to admit the passage of a pony, and through
this the animals had been carried off unperceived by
the sentries posted within twenty yards. Examina-
tion showed that the animals had been supplied with
corn, and a trail of grain led to another opening in
the town wall. On the previous visit we had been
cautioned to watch carefully against any attempt to
steal the ponies ; but the warning had unfortunately
been forgotten. A robbery had been attempted in
the same way when the tah-sa-kon was residing in the
khyoung. The thieves purloined a gun and sword,
but an alarm was raised, and the latter was dropped
in their flight. We borrowed ponies to carry us to
Muangla, and started at half past ten. As before,
considerable difficulty was caused by the absence of
porters, nearly all the coolies from Momien having
run away. Mules had to be found to supply their
place, and the proverbial character of these beasts
was fully verified by those of Nantin, which for an
hour stubbornly refused to be loaded. During this
interlude the Panthays were doing their best to

262 THE SANDA VALLEY.

impress men for the lighter loads. The recusants
were dragged up by soldiers with drawn swords, and
each, when loaded, was followed by a spearman, ready
to egg him on with his spear if he attempted to lag
behind. As we passed through Muangtee, the towns-
people had all turned out, and our old friend, the
tsawbwa-gadaw, and her retainers, male and female,
stood outside her haw, and waved salutes and adieus.
Outside the town a strong Shan guard of honour was
drawn up, and escorted us to the chain bridge across
the Taho, three miles from the town.

During the rains the river is unfordable, and the
road follows the left bank along the embankments
of the paddy fields as far as the bridge. From the.
right bank the ascent to the lofty Mawphoo glen
proved most arduous, the road being so slippery that
men and beasts were continually falling, and many of
the pedestrians were severely bruised. It rained inces-
santly, and it was a great relief to all when Mawphoo
was reached, and an hour's rest was enjoyed previous
to the descent into the head of the Muangla valley.
The road first led down a declivity, where the only
mode of progress for the ponies was by sliding ; and
then followed a series of zigzags, some of them over
frightful precipices, where a slip of the pony's foot
would be certain destruction. At this season the
Tah6 issues as a tremendous torrent from the deep
gorge in the Mawphoo hills, and the distant Tapeng
appeared almost as large as the Irawady in dry
weather. We reached Muangla at dusk, and were

A PLEASANT MEETING. 253

astonished, on entering the town, to meet an English-
man, accompanied by some Shans. ^^ Herushed up to
our leader, and introduced himself as Mr. Grordon, a
civil engineer from Prome, who had been sent by the
Chief Commissioner with additional funds, and to
fill the post of engineer to the expedition.J He had
received his instructions by telegraph on May 9th, to
follow the party as quickly as possible, and had obeyed
them with laudable energy. He had travelled
from Bhamo with a guard of fifty Burmans, and
found no dijBficulty en route. At Manwyne he had
met with the Hotha tsawbwa, who wished him to
remain for a day or two ; but pushing on, and
passing Sanda without halting, he had reached
Muangla the day of our arrival. The guard of
one hundred Burmese which had been despatched
in charge of the first supply of rupees had arrived
there ten days previously ; but the tsare-daw-gyee in
charge had been afraid to advance further.

From this place our Panthay guards were to
return, and the Burmese officer expected that his
escort would take their place. He seemed indeed
most eager to be of service, and was much chagrined
when he learned our leader's intention of exploring
the route on the southern banks of the Tapeng.
It was a most pleasant surprise to meet Mr. Gordon,
whose goodwill' and energy were inexhaustible. The
supply of funds also came just in time to enable us
to make complete collections of Shan products, and
it also marvellously smoothed the difficulties of the

254 THE SANDA VALLEY.

return journey. So we set out from Muangla in
excellent spirits, notwithstanding the incessant rain.
Messages had come, from parties unknown, offering
to restore the stolen ponies for three hundred and
twenty rupees, but as the local authorities did not
seem inclined to move in the matter, the thieves
were left in possession of their booty. Our Mahom-
medan escort bade us farewell with evident reluct-
ance, and one officer expressed a strong desire to
accompany us to Rangoon, saying that if lie was
once there, he would never return to Yunnan.

On July 20th we started for Sanda, the usual diffi-
culty as to porters having compelled me to leave
behind the collecting boxes for specimens, with two
of my collectors in charge, until carriage could be
procured. We crossed the Tapeng above its junction
with the Taho in ferry-boats, the boatmen at first
refusing to convey us unless paid five thousand cash
beforehand. This attempt at extortion was resisted,
and the dispute was ended by our taking forcible
possession of the boats, when the boatmen at once
gave in, and worked with perfect goodwill and
activity till all the party were safely over. We then
set out in a body for Sanda, the road at first leading
along the top of some old river terraces deeply chan-
nelled by mountain streams, which were crossed by
two narrow planks laid side by side. Our ponies,
however, crossed them with ease, except the one
which Grordon had brought from the plains, and
which was unused to such acrobatic exploits ; so it

Ill

1^

..WWia, lis

!|1 I .p

''jS'V

4l V'l^tH

A VALLEY LANDSCAPE. 255

grew nervous on a bridge over which it was being
led, and disappeared head-over-heels in the deep
gully beneath. Wonderful to relate, the animal
broke no limbs, and shortly reappeared a little
further down, trembling, but unhurt, on the river
terrace below. Two miles beyond the place where
the Tapeng had been forded on the upward journey
we descended towards the level centre of the valley,
at this season under water, the road being carried •
along a substantial embankment built to keep back
the floods. The whole extent of the valley was
clothed in exquisitely fresh verdure, in beautiful con-
trast to the dark mountains which towered like a
protecting wall on either side, while alternate cloud
and sunshine fully displayed the beauty of the land-
scape. Now deep shadows of giant clouds flitted
down the mountains and over the sunny plains, while
occasional fleecy mists wrapt the highest peaks, and
again black storms obscured the hills as with a
curtain,

" Lashed at the base with slanting storm,"

the rest of the valley basking in the sunlight. Near
Sanda a stream had to be crossed so swollen that the
ponies could scarcely stem the current, which was
over the saddles. By 6 p.m we were safely housed
in our old quarters at Sanda, and the tsawbwa's
headman speedily arrived with a supply of fowls,
rice, and firewood sufficient for all our wants.

On awaking in the morning, we made the un-

256 THE SANDA VALLEY.

pleasant discovery that two packages had been
stolen from pur bedsides. One was only a fishing-
rod and bamboo pipe and stems, but the other
contained the solid silver pipe-stem given by the
tsawbwa to Sladen, and some other presents. The
theft was duly reported to the tsawbwa, who at
once offered two hundred rupees' reward for the
recovery of the stolen articles. During the day,
many people crowded the khyoung, having clothes
and ornaments to sell. The priests were much
scandalised to see women's clothes sold and ex-
hibited in the sacred precincts, and at last procured
an order from the tsawbwa, forbidding the women
to come for the purpose of such traffic.

We remained at Sanda till July 8th, being detained
partly by the rain, and partly by negotiations with
the people of the Muangla district, lying on the other
side of the Tapeng, relative to our homeward route.
L The chief persons, a village headman named Kingain,
and the poogain of Manhleo, a place opposite to
Manwyne, through whose jurisdiction the route lay,
had both been hostile to us on the upward journey^
The Hotha tsawbwa himself proved to have had some
dispute with the Sanda people, which prevented his
coming to meet us, while the Sanda headmen were
averse to our crossing over to Hotha, for fear any
future trade should be diverted from their town. In
the course of the negotiations, two Shan headmen of
villages informed Sladen that they could conduct us
safely by a good and easy hill-road to the Molay

THE LEESAWS. 257

river, which could be reached in two days, at a
point whence it was navigable during the floods, for
large salt boats, down to the Irawady.

The skilful patience of our leader was at last
rewarded by converting Kingain and the Manhleo
poogain into firm friends, and it was settled that we
should proceed to Manwyne, and cross the river at
that place, whence they would secure our safety.
The son of the poogain arrived to act as our con-
ductor, and a letter was received from the Hotha
tsawbwa, promising to meet us at Manwyne.

During our stay we had unrestricted opportunities
of viewing Shan manners. Every fifth day the
regular market was held, and the broad street was
crowded by the country folk. Stalls lined both
sides of the roadway, which seemed paved with
umbrella-like straw hats. Besides Kakhyens from the
hills, Leesaws were numerous, bringing oil, bamboos,
and firewood for sale. Both men and women shave
a circle round the head, leaving only a large patch
on the upper and back parts, from which the hair
is gathered into a short pigtail. Both sexes dress so
much alike that the boys and girls were almost
indistinguishable from each other. Some of them
were induced to pay us a visit, and give words and
phrases of their language, which seemed to be quite
distinct from the Kakhyen tongue, and somewhat
akin to the Burmese.

Seeing our interest in these people, a respectable
old Shan, who had already done some trade with

s

258 THE SANDA VALLEY.

us, invited us to his house, where he professed to
have some Leesaw clothing to dispose of. It turned
out that he proposed to pass off his own old clothes
on the gullible strangers ; so our visit became one
of politeness only. We were duly seated, and his
daughters served us with sliced mangoes and plums,
which were eaten with salt. Our host's two
wives were present, and other matrons flocked in
from the neighbouring cottages, their hands blue
with indigo. We asked if it was usual for Shans
to have more than one wife, and were told that it
was not, but that every man pleased himself. We also
learned that the usual age for marriage is between
eighteen and twenty, and the consent of the parents
alone is required to make the contract binding, as
there is no religious ceremony, and the priests have
no voice whatever in the matter.

The house, like all the Shan cottages, was enclosed
in a courtyard, and consisted of three rooms — a
central living-room, with a sleeping-room on either
side. Against the wall of the " keeping-room," facing
the door, stood the family altar, a small table having
on it an incense vase and an ancestral tablet. A
broad verandah ran along the front of the cottage,
at one end of which stood a large indigo vat,
hollowed out of a solid block. From this house we
visited the Shan and Chinese khyoungs. Both were
plain bamboo structures, built on the sites of the
former buildings, described as having been rich and
splendid structures, destroyed by the Panthays some

BUDDHIST KHYOUNGS. 259

years previously. The Shan temple contained only
one figure of G-audama, and as the phoongyees were
seated at their rice, round a small bamboo table, we
went on to that of the Chinese, next door. Here there
was one principal Buddha, clothed in a yellow robe,
and crowned with a nimbus resembling ostrich
plumes. On the altar were a few small Buddhas
freshly gilded, and a number of old pictures. On
a small table was a wooden fish, such as was of
frequent occurrence in the Momien khyounga. Tra-
dition says that in one of his former existences
Gaudama was shipwrecked, but brought to land by
a large fish, which he afterwards fed during its life.
A strange mixture of Arion and Jonah pervades this
legend ; but the fish is probably a mystic legacy
from the more ancient religions to which Kwanyin
and other deities belong. The chief phoongyee was
very courteous, and had seats brought covered with
red rugs, while his waiting-man served the guests
with tea and fruit. He exhibited a number of
pictures representing the judgment and punishment
of sinners. One figure, evidently the judge, was
seated at a table, with a book before him, and pens
and ink-horn at his side, while two figures stood on
either hand — one a hideous-looking monster, the
other of more human and gentle aspect. The latter
was the good, the former the bad recording angel.
In front of the judge, the pious and wicked were
depicted, in fleshly forms, departing to their several
destinations. Of the latter, some were being dragged

s 2

260 THE SAND A VALLEY.

away by devils ; wliile others in the foreground were
being subjected to torments appropriate to their
faiHngs in life. The possessor of a false tongue was
having it torn out by the roots, while the slayer
of animals was being hacked in two, with his head
downwards and his legs wide apart.

There was a grotesque humour about these horrible
pictures, which made even the priest smile, as he
exhibited and described them ; but he waxed very
grave as he told of the former splendour of the
ruined religious edifices of Sanda.

There was little to be done in the way of collect-
ing zoological specimens, and nothing in the way of
sport. A thick grove of fir-trees, marking the burial-,
place of the tsawbwa's family, was the only covert, but
firing there was looked npon as certain to bring
disease and death upon the chief and his household.
After one attempt, a formal request was made that
we would not shoot on the hills behind the town.
A nat is said to dwell in a cutting, which marks the
entrenchments made by the Chinese army in 1767,
and the Shans believe that if a gun were fired, the
insulted demon would come down as a tiger and
carry off children. The chief himself came one day
complaining of cough and headache, and asking for
medicine to dislodge the nat who had seized him,
but sulphate of magnesia proved too much for the
demon. A Burman assistant surveyor, who had
been sent to make a survey of the river, was pre-
vented by the villagers, who pleaded a dread of the

THE LIMESTONE HILL. 261

iiats' anger, and the tsawbwa, when appealed to, not
only supported this view, but privately asked the
interpreter if we had not a secret object in examin-
ing the country, and did not mean to return next
year with a strong force to take possession. We
were perfectly free to stroll about the environs, and
one of the chief men undertook to guide us to visit
the hill whence the lime sold in the market was
procured. The road lay along the paddy fields, and
was either knee-deep in mud or up to the saddle-
girths in water. We crossed the Nam-Sanda, a deep
strong stream flowing from the north through a
short narrow glen, on the other side of which the
limestone hill rose in a gentle declivity. As we
rode through the fields of cotton, now in flower, and
kept so clean that not a weed was visible, Shan
girls, dressed in dark blue, with short trousers and
petticoats with little aprons over them, looked up
from their field-work with mute astonishment de-
j)icted on their round chubby faces. About four
hundred feet up the grassy hill, on which not a tree
was to be seen, the bluish-grey masses of hard
crystalline limestone occur, lying in irregular heaps
overgrown with long grass, as they have fallen down
from the rocky heights above. Some superstitious
ideas are attached to the occurrence of the limestone
in this place, and it was shown to us as a super-
natural curiosity. The masses are dug out of the
ground, and carried to the villages, where they are
calcined, grass being used as fuel in preference to

262 THE SANDA VALLEY.

wood. An old kiln was shown us, which, had been
formerly erected by some Chinese lime-burners, who
had come from Tali-fu. On our return, tbe tsawbwa
was anxious to know if the hill contained silver, the
Shans having the impression that our field-glasses
enable us to see into the very heart of the mountains
and detect the precious metals therein concealed. In
the bed of a small stream running down the little
valley, the hot springs occur, consisting of two sepa-
rate groups, separated by about a quarter of a mile.
In the most easterly, we found only one spring, in a
basin about six inches deep and a yard in diameter ;
the water bubbles up through a gravelly bottom, over
which a fine black micaceous mud has been deposited.
We found the temperature to be 204°, two degrees
below tbe boiling-point of Sanda, viz. 206° ; but in
the cold weather, when undisturbed by floods, the
temperature is higher. As a proof of this, we saw
the feathers of fowls and hair of kids, which had been
cooked in the spring, lying all about the banks of
the rivulet. The natives deepen the basin by piling
stones round its margin, and use the spring as a
medicinal bath, and sometimes drink the waters.
The other group had five openings, through which
the water bubbled up in the bed of the stream, which
had been -diverted to expose them. All the basins
but one had been obliterated by the floods, and the
temperature of the water much reduced ; but by in-
serting the bulb into the holes, the temperature was
found to be the 'same as that of the first spring. The

HOT SPKINGS OF SANDA. 263

atmosphere round the springs was sensibly warm,
and the ground so hot in some places that our bare-
footed companions could not stand on it. A peculiar
heavy smell was perceptible, which was also per-
ceived, after boiling, in the water brought away by
us. This is probably due to the presence of some
erapyreumatic matter.* Our guide informed us with
a serious face that hell was in the immediate vicinity,
and that when Graudama walked over this spot, the
flames burst forth, and endeavoured to devour him,
but the springs issued forth and quenched them,
becoming heated in the contest. He also told us
that a footprint of Gaudama was visible close at
hand, in a romantic glen, down which flowed a
mountain torrent called the Ohalktaw. The stream
was crossed by a double-spanned bamboo bridge,
supported in the middle of the stream by a large
boulder, and hung at either end to two bamboos
driven into the ground, so that the bridge is partly
arched and partly suspended. Many Kakhyen and
Leeaaw men and women were coming down the hill
on their way to Sanda market, bringing great loads
of vegetables, firewood, and planks of wood three

* Analysis by Dr. Macnamara.

One gallon contains : —

49-7 grains of solid matter ;
3-6 „ salts of alkalies, chloride of sodium ;
19-7 „ silica, earthy salts, and oxide of iron;
Traces of sulphuric, carbonic, and phosphoric acids ;
No nitric acid.

264 THE SANDA VALLEY.

feet long, fifteen inclies broad, and one inch and a
half thick. A basket of vegetables and a plank so
heavy that one of us could scarcely lift it formed
a naountain-girl's load down the steep hillside.
About a quarter of a mile up the wild glen, strewn
with enormous waterworn granite boulders, we were
shown the giant footprint in a spot surrounded by
some fine old banyan trees. The print was on the end
of a boulder looking up the glen, and it was evident
that the hollow representing the heel had been
formed by the friction of a superincumbent boulder.
In time the river changed its course, and the boulder
was exposed to the view of some devout and ima-
ginative Buddhist. He, struck with the resemblance
of the cavity to a huge heel-mark, carved the outline
of a human foot, and proclaimed the wondrous
discovery. Its great antiquity is shown by the
existence of two tablets on the other face of the rock ;
the carved outlines are still traceable, but the in-
scriptions are so worn that it is impossible to
decipher the form of the characters. On our way
back we passed a Leesaw girl with a great display of
beads, and succeeded in coaxing her to part with four
strings, and six hoops from her neck, for a rupee.
A little further on we met some more of her tribe
resting under a tree, who rose and offered us rice-
spirit out of their bamboo flasks ; in exchange we
gave them some watered whisky, which they seemed
highly to relish. These Leesaw women wore a pecu-
liar turban with a pendant end, of coarse white cloth

A PKIESTLY THIEF. 265

patched with blue squares, and trimmed with cowries.
Their close-fitting leggings were made of squares of
blue and white cloth, and their ornaments consisted
of large brass ear-rings, necklaces of large blue beads
and seeds, and a profusion of ratan, bamboo, and
straw hoops round the loins and neck. These
resemble the dress of the Moso women described by
Cooper, and similar dresses and ornaments are shown
in Mons. Grarnier's illustrations of the Lei-sus in
North Yunnan.

At three o'clock in the morning of August 29th,
we were all startled from sleep by a loud outcry and
a pistol shot. It turned out that a thief had opened
the door and stolen one of the handsome silver
Panthay spears^ but the jingle of the ornaments had
awoke Sladen, who fired a shot in the dark after the
retreating robber, and raised an alarm, in vain.
Suspicion at once fell on a phoongyee who slept in
a room close to the door ; the sentinel on duty had
heard the priest stirring just before, and while he
walked a few yards to consult a watch hung up on
a post, the robbery was effected. The tsawbwa and
his headmen showed great concern, and all agreed
in suspecting the priest, whose character, it appeared,
was already bad. They taxed him with the theft,
and told him that it was a most disgraceful act, to
steal a gift made by one official to another ; they also
threatened, if the spear was not restored, to degrade
him from the priesthood, theft, even to the value
of six annas, being one of the crimes which, at his

266 THE SANDA VALLEY.

ordination, the rahan is specially warned against, as
depriving him ipso facto of his sacred character.

The tsawbwa was extremely incensed, and requested
us to delay our journey to enable him, if possible, to
discover and restore the spear, as well as punish the
criminal. Early the next morning an old woman
came crying to the khyoung, and, as she entered, threw
down her pipe, and rushed up to Sladen with her
hands clasped, and the tears streaming down her
wrinkled cheeks. The interpreter explained that she
was the mother of the suspected priest, and had come
to intercede for him. Another of her sons presently
joined her, but they were advised to go to the
tsawbwa, in whose hands the matter rested. While
she was being shown the door through which the
thief had entered, the phoongyee himself came in^ and
the old woman, with a violent outburst of abuse,
struck him several blows with her clenched fist, and
fairly beat him out of the khyoung.

The ceremony of excommunication took place in due
course, and was brief enough, lastii\g only five minutes.
He was brought in by all the headmen, and attended
by his mother and brother, the latter carrying the
clothes of an ordinary Shan, which the culprit, when
degraded, was to assume. All sat down, and the poor
old woman made an affecting appeal to her son to
confess if he were guilty ; but he preserved a dogged
silence, and commenced to take off" his turban in front
of the altar. She then retired, departing with her
hands clasped above her head, and ejaculating prayers.

THE EXCOMMUNICATION. 267

The priest, having removed his turban, took a water
lily from an offering of flov^ers in front of the image
of Gaudama, and, placing it on a tripod, again depo-
sited it before the image. The chief priest now
appeared on the dais, and the culprit knelt behind his
lily muttering a few sentences, occasionally rising
from his knees, and bending in worship before the
figure, and gradually retreated after each prostration,
until he was beyond the verge of the dais peculiar
to the priests. He then knelt before the chief
phoongyee, and repeated some formula after him,
after which he retired to his room, and soon emerged
dressed -as a layman. He was then taken away by
the headmen, and some hours after was brought back
led by a chain secured to an iron collar round his
neck. In the evening he was again led by the chain,
down to the khyoung, escorted by the headmen, who
stated that they had failed to find any clue to the
missing spear, or to establish the guilt of the prisoner.
He was, however, during the ensuing conference as
to our departure, kept chained to a pillar and guarded
by two men. After another day of delay and barter
with the people, who crowded the khyoung, the only
noticeable purchase being some capital tobacco at the
price of a rupee for three pounds and a half, we took
our departure on August 4th. The old tsawbwa and
his grandchild came with a parting present of cloth,
and a request that we would not mount until we had
passed his house ; and a silver watch presented by
Sladen to his adopted son gave immense pleasure to

268 THE SANDA VALLEY.

both the chief and his heir. As we approached the
haw, three trumpeters blew a lusty blast, and the
three saluting guns were fired as we ascended the
steps leading to the gateway, where the chief and his
grandson awaited us. After a hearty handshaking,
and formal adieus, we mounted under a second
salute, and rode out of the town preceded by the
trumpeters in full bray.

The road at this season was carried along the
embankments of the paddy fields nearer to the base
of the hills. The courses of the many mountain
streams showed the traces of the devastation caused
by the unprecedented floods of the past week ; whole
rice fields had been swept away, and in others the
crop had been hopelessly buried in silt. Roots and
stems oflarge trees everywhere blocked the channels,
and the sides of the mountains showed red patches,
like wounds, where landslips had occurred. These
had been most destructive ; nine villages were said
to have been overwhelmed in the Sanda valley, one,
a vUlage of forty houses, being completely destroyed
with all its inhabitants, save nine who were absent.
The nineteen miles to Manwyne were accomplished
by 5 P.M., and we took up our quarters in the same
khyoung as on the former visit ; some trouble and a
little gentle violence being requisite to exclude the
pertinacious and curious Chinese, who went so far as
to hustle a sentry. These Manwyne people (not
including the Shans), though not so hostile as on our
first visit, were evidently ill-disposed, and can be

THE MANWYNE PHOONGYEES. 269

only classed as " rowdies." At sundown a bell was
rung and a huge candle lit in front of the altar,
while the priests, kneeling on the upper dais,
supported by choristers on the lower one, chanted
their vespers.

Bell-ringing and matins woke us up early in the
morning, and, as before, the devout women trooped
in with their offerings of rice and flowers. The
phoongyees and some others were very much inter-
ested in hearing about railways, telegraphs, and'
other wonders of Western civilisation; One of the
Sanda headmen remarked that they were much
privileged to hear of such things, and that we must
all have met before in a previous existence, and
would doubtless meet again. They were awed by
viewing the moon through a good telescope ; and a
prediction of the coming eclipse of the sun evidently
impressed them with a deep sense of our astrological
powers, the chief phoongyee, with bated breath,
inquiring whether it presaged war or famine.

Our first visitor was the " Death's Head " pawmine
of Ponsee, who came with the idea that we should
entrust ourselves to his friendly guidance, and was
chagrined at the information that we should return
by Hotha, The Hotha tsawbwa . had been delayed
by the difficulty of crossing the mud left by the
floods, and, when he at length appeared, was at first
inclined to magnify the difficulties, physical and
otherwise, of reaching his valley. When he found
us resolute, he made light of the difficulties, and

270 THE SANDA VALLEY.

arranged that the Mauhleo poogain should take
charge of the baggage, while he himself preceded
us to prepare for our reception. In the meantime
we were entertained at a dinner by the tsawbwa-
gadaw, the honours being done by the Hotha chief.
We were welcomed by the two Buddhist nuns, one a
daughter of our hostess, and the other a sister of
Hotha, attended by a crowd of maids and retainers,
and were at once requested to take our seats at the
table. Tea was then served, followed by the dinner,
consisting of well-cooked fowls, roast and boiled,
pork, &c., with small plates of onions, peas, and
shced mangoes ; then came rice and sauce, followed
by another service of tea. All the dishes were served
on Chinese porcelain, and the samshu was poured
from a Birmingham teapot into tiny cups of jade.
We were waited on by men ; but just as the dinner
was placed on the table, the hostess came in for a few
minutes, and made a speech of welcome, and apologies
for having nothing better to offer ; and when it was
over, she rejoined the party. The two rahaneesand
their maids favoured us with their company all the
time. Being struck with the red-dyed nails of the
ladies, I asked one rosy-cheeked damsel to show me
the dye. She volunteered to give a practical illus-
tration, and at once brought from an inner room a
pulpy mass of the petals and leaves of a red balsam
beaten up with cutch. Having first begged for a
small ring as a memento of our visit, she proceeded
to envelop the tip of my little finger in a portion of

THE NUNNERY. 271

the pulp, and covered it with a green leaf neatly tied
on with thread.

After dinner the Hotha chief entertained us with
a performance on the Shan guitar or banjo, for the
instrument had only three strings, and the sounding-
board was made of a stretched snake skin. The chief
was evidently regarded, and justly, as a skilled per-
former, and under his fingers the instrument dis-
coursed sweet, pleasant tinkling, while the airs,
though simple, were melodious. After our return to
the khyoung, the two nuns and their maids arrived
with some presents from the tsawbwa-gadaw, and
remained for two hours, asking intelligent questions
about our country and religion, and on leaving
made us promise to visit them at their own khyoung.
The next afternoon a messenger came to remind us
of our promise, and two of the party went to the
nunnery. It consisted of two bamboo houses, side by
side, enclosed by a fence. One, used as a residence,
was an ordinary Shan house of three rooms; the
other, used as a chapel, was a pavilion, twenty-four
feet square, raised on piles four feet above the
ground, and closed in with mats on all sides save
that fronting the dwelling-house. The only decora-
tions were a few small images of Graudama, and strips
of white paper cut into ornamental figures and sus-
pended like banners from the roofs. The Hotha nun
was engaged in weaving, which was a breach of the
Buddhist canons, forbidding the religious to employ
themselves in any useful labour. We were invited

272 THE SANDA VALLEY.

into the dwelling-house, and served with mangoes and
women's tobacco, and bidden to light our pipes. A
long and interesting conversation ensued, mainly on
religious subjects. The nuns, especially the young
lady of Manwyne, evinced great interest in the
subject of Christianity, concluding by begging us
to consider her as a sister. Then we all adjourned
to afternoon tea at the haw of her mother. The old
lady expressed a great desire to possess a portrait of
our gracious Queen, which we promised to send her
from Eangoon. In the meantime, we offered a tem-
porary substitute in the shape of four brand new
rupees, with which she was greatly pleased.

August 9 th found us ready for an early start from
Manwyne, but the want of porters delayed us till
8.30, when we set out for the Tapeng. A farewell
dish of rice and spirit, "to strengthen us for the
journey," arrived from the tsawbwa-gadaw, while the
chief phoongyee presented some cloth to each of us,
heartily expressing his good wishes for our welfare.
The townspeople waved their adieus, some calling
out Kara I kara I and others the Shan equivalent for
Au revoir I It was noon before the ponies were safely
across the river, now six hundred yards in breadth,
on the other side of which a mud flat extended for
two miles. The smooth surface had been caked hard
by the sun, but with many a fissure, through which
the legs of the ponies slipped into the tenacious quag-
mire beneath. At last a veritable Slough of Despond
was reached, and the party was fairly bogged ; the

THE SLOUGH OF DESPOND. 273

ponies floundered and stumbled so much that it
became necessary to dismount. The next half-hour
will not be easily forgotten, when, the reins in one
hand and my dog held fast in the other, I plunged
and struggled through the slimy ooze, which seemed
to grasp the legs firmly at each step. At one place
the pony made a sudden stumble, and disappeared in
the mud, whilst the strain sent me rolling forwards
until dragged to my feet by two unincumbered
natives. The stoutest of our party was literally
hauled through by men stimulated by rupees, while
his pony had to be dug out of the mud by some
Shans. A blunder of our guide had led us into this
tract of mud, which had been recently deposited
by the overflow of the river ; and the amount of
alluvium brought down can be imagined from the
fact that the tract covered about six square miles,
with an average depth of four feet. Following the
embankments of the paddy fields for about two miles,
we halted for breakfast on a grassy slope at the foot
of the hills, under the shade of wide-spreading banyan
and mangoe trees, amidst eager crowds of villagers
staring at the strangers.

274 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

CHAPTER X.

THE HOTHA TALLET-

The motuitain eummit — A giant glen — Leesaw village — The wrong
road — Priestly inhospitality — Town of Hotha — A friendly chief —
The Namhoke Kakhyens — The Hotha market — The Shan people —
The Koshanpyi — The Tai of Tmman — Their personal appear-
ance— CJostume — Equipment — The Chinese Shans — Silver hair
ornaments — Ear-rings — Torques, bracelets, and rings — TextUe
fabrics — Agriculture — Social customs — Tenure of land — Old
Hotha — A Shan-Chinese temple — Shan Buddhism — The fire
festival — Eclipse of the sun — Horse worship — Ancient pagodas —
Roads from Hotha.

At 2 P.M. we commenced to ascend the hills, which
from Manwyne had not appeared to be more than
one thousand feet high, but proved to be three
times that altitude above the river. The roug-h
bridle-path led straight up the steep declivity, and
in the blazing heat of an unclouded sun the ascent
was most trying to man and beast, already wearied
by their exertions in the quagmire. The mules were
ahead, but our men soon began to lag, although we
went as slowly as was compatible with the prospect of
reaching Manloi, on the other side, before nightfall.
A short way up the mountain, bold cliffs stood out, of
white crystalline marble, weathering to a dull lirown.

THE MOUNTAIN SUMMIT. 275

This was succeeded by quartzose rock ; and, still
higher, a blueish gneissose rock formed the upper
mass of the range. We passed through several
Kakhyen villages, paying a few rupees by way of
toll to the headmen, who were sitting by the
roadside waiting for us. Near the summit, we had
a splendid view of the course of the Tapeng to the
Burmese plain. A high curtain of clouds to the
westward huug over the entrance of the river
into the gorge of the hills, while below and
beyond it the immense plain of the Irawady was
clearly discerned backed by high hills, and with the
great river winding through it like a broad silver
band. To the right extended a magnificent panorama
of the valley as far as the spur above Sanda, and we
took a long farewell gaze at the lovely vale, walled
in by its guardian mountains, and rich in every
variety of effect produced by the grouping in sunset
lights and shadows, of flood and fell, and verdant
fields. Having crossed the summit more than five
thousand feet above the sea, we looked down on the
narrow Hotha valley, not a thousand feet below,
stretched out at our feet for twenty-five miles, the
opposite or southern range trending round to the
north-east to join the mountain wall of the Sanda
valley, by a connecting ridge, much lower than
the height from which we looked across, and saw
to the south successive distant heights cradhng
valleys whose waters flow to the Shuaylee.

It is somewhat difficult to find an appropriate term

T 2

276 THE HOTHA VALLEY,

for this lofty mountain-cradled district. It is a giant
glen, scarcely above two miles wide, presenting no
level ground, but a succession of broken surface diver-
sified by tossed grassy knolls of red soil, dotted here
and there with villages, each with its plantation of
fruit trees. A narrow stream, the Namsa, winds down
on the southern side, till, through a cluster of higher
grassy hills covered with bracken, it forces its down-
ward way to the Tapeng. Such is the valley of
Hotha as it lay smiling before us in the fast fading
light, with its hundred villages, tenanted by forty
thousand peaceful and industrious Chinese-Shans,
which compose the two states of Hotha and Latha, or
Muangtha and Hansa.

Hiaving commenced to descend the ridge, we met
with some Leesaws carrying a freshly killed deer,
which an offer often rupees failed to induce them to
part with. Many tracts of temperate forest trees,
such as oaks and beeches, were seen, and below them
extensive tracts of a novel short and thin stemmed
bamboo. We presently passed through the village
of our Leesaw friends, picturesquely perched on the
face of a steep spur among magnificent trees and
enormous grey boulders, some of which were as
large as the houses, which latter differed alto-
gether from the Kakhyen habitations, being small
square structures, with no floor save the ground,
which was kept dry by means of a trench cut
round the mud walls. We entered the village
street by a wooden gateway, and passed out under

THE WEONG PATH. 277

a long covered passage embowered in luxuriant
creepers.

The sun had set almost as we commenced the
descent, and darkness overtook us halfway down. At
a division of the path, a stubborn muleteer insisted
on choosing what proved to be the wrong road, and
half our party, including the Manhleo headman, were
thus misled. We blundered along a rough bridle-
track covered with loose stones and cut up by water-
courses. In vain we shouted to attract the attention,
and learn the whereabouts, of the rest ; no answer
was returned save the echoes from the hills, now
shrouded in darkness. At last we met some Shans,
and learned that we were close to a village called
Mentone, in the Latha or western division, and some
miles from Hotha. A consultation was held as to
which alternative was the worst, to proceed in the
dark to Hotha, or go dinner less and supperless to bed.
The latter seemed the least evil ; so we made for the
village khyoung, which was reached at 8.50 p.m.
We could get nothing to eat ; and, thorougly tired,
we unsaddled the hungry and worn-out ponies, and,
taking their saddles for pillows, fell asleep on the
floor in front of the altar. Our slumbers, however,
were soon disturbed by the phoongyees squatting
down close to our heads, and shouting out their
evening prayers. The chief phoongyee, a shrivelled
old man, sat cross-legged, with his prayer-book on a
small stool before him, and a little acolyte sat by his
side, running a wooden pointer along the lines to

278 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

keep the priest's eyes from wandering. Before him
sat six choristers yelling in different keys at the pitch
of their voices. The devotions of the phoongyee
were interrupted by our Shan interpreter, who
shouted to him that he wanted to buy four annas
worth of rice. The priest at once stopped the
service to bargain as to the quantity of rice to be
given for the coin, which was new to him ; this
being settled, he resumed his oflSce, but was again
interrupted, as he had not sent any one to serve out
the rice.

Prayers being ended, we requested something
to eat, and were told that there were some pears on
a tree outside, to which we were at liberty to help
ourselves, a generous offer which was politely
declined. The priest, however, gave us quilts to
lie on ; and being thus made at all events warmer,
though still hungry, we fell asleep, and, waking
before dawn, were well on the way to Hotha by
sunrise.

The inhospitality of these phoongyees was in
singular contrast to the tenets and practice of the
Burmese Buddhist priests, who hold it a pious duty to
receive and refresh the stranger. There was how-
ever, an ill feeling at work against us, which found
vent in the question asked by some of the villagers,
" Why had we come to their valley to bring flying
dragons and other evils on them ? " This was due to
the malicious reports that the Muangla people had
spread. The unexampled inundations were attributed

TOWN OF HOTHA. 279

to our presence, and it was declared that our stay had
been followed by death in each place. Even the
Hotha chief was not free from the superstitious
dread thus produced ; and his father in-law, the old
Latha tsawbwa, though he accepted the presents
sent him, utterly declined a visit, as he feared the
strangers would bewitch him and his household. His
dutiful son-in-law declined to press him, as he was
" an old buffalo," which always went in the contrary
direction to that in which it was driven.

Turning our backs on the inhospitable village, we
proceeded by an excellent paved road carried along
the end of the spurs, and in many places cut out along
the slopes. The mountain streams weie crossed by
means of granite bridges, some of them adorned with
dragons. Numerous villages embowered among fine
trees were passed ; and a novel feature was introduced
by the occurrence, at intervals, of roadside drinkiug-
fountains, the wells being built over and cased in
stone ornamented with a white marble frieze. A
gilded pagoda surmounting a hillock opposite Manloi
brought our thoughts back to Burma, as it was
the first pagoda of the Burmese type seen since our
departure from the plains.

At 8 A.M., August 10th, we arrived at the town
of Hotha, consisting of about one hundred and fifty
houses, surrounded by a low wall, somewhat
ruined and dilapidated, the result, not of Pan-
thay invasion, but of a rebellion by the tsawbwa's
subjects, who a year before, exasperated by the

280 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

imposition of a new tax, rose and attacked his
town. The tsawbwa and his son, in state dresses,
the former attired as a mandarin of the blue
button, received us at their residence, and a salute
was fired from four mortar-shaped guns embedded in
the ground. Quarters were assigned to us in the
haw, close to the chief's private apartments ; and all
our people were assembled in the course of the day.
The whole of the baggage was brought in safely,
although the party had been divided in the descent
of the mountain, and some of the followers had been
obliged to remain in the Leesaw village, the unso-
phisticated mountaineers charging them two rupees
a head for their night's lodging ! The Manhleo
poogain and Kingain, the Muangla headman to
whom the convoy of the baggage had been entrusted,
were very proud of the encomiums passed on their
successful performance of their task, and requested a
certificate to that effect, and further promised to
assist all future travellers who might desire to cross
from Manwyne to Hotha.

We remained until the 27th as guests of the
courteous and accomplished chief Li-lot-fa, or, to give
him his Chinese appellation, Li-yin-khyeen ; and the
recollection of our sojourn with him, and of his
pleasant valley, is the most agreeable of all the
reminiscences of the country beyond the Kakhyen
hills. Not only did our host evince the most hos-
pitable desire to purvey all creature comforts, but
he made us feel thoroughly at home. We lived on

A PEIENDLY CHIEF. 281

terms of intimacy with his family, and his two wives
and two daughters manifested a charming freedom of
manners, combined with the most refined propriety,
that would have done credit to a drawing-room at
home. The chief delighted to converse about the
various modern inventions of which he had heard
reports from the Chinese who had visited Rangoon.
Their accounts, however, more suo, had been full
of marvellous exaggerations, including flying-ma-
chines, telescopes that enabled the sight to penetrate
mountains, and others that divested people of their
clothes ! The chief had some vague ideas about
railways, steamships, and gas, and was most eager
for fuller and more accurate information.

We urged him to visit Rangoon and Calcutta, but
he seemed to think the disturbed state of the country
an insuperable obstacle ; but he discussed, instead, the
plan of sending his son, a lad of thirteen, to Rangoon.
Li-lot-fa could read and write Shan and Chinese, and / '
he now commenced to learn Burmese, and it was a
curious sight to see him at work with his note-book,
which he had obtained from us, taking down words
and sentences as busily as if he had been a competi-
tion wallah preparing for an examination.

The fact that this tsawbwa had succeeded in main- /
taining friendly relations with both the Panthays
and imperialist Chinese chiefs, with whom his real
sympathies lay, so that his valley had escaped the
evils of war, spoke well for his diplomatic tact.
His conversation showed that he had been from the

282 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

first well informed about our progress and difficulties,
which he unhesitatingly attributed to the machina-
tions of the Bhamo ChineseTi He asserted that the
advance to Ponsee, and the desertion of the muleteers
at that place, had been part of a well concerted
scheme on the part of the Kakhyen chiefs to attack
and plunder our baggage. Our escape from this
danger was attributed by the chief to " a super-
natural power against evil, given as a reward for
good deeds in former existences."

As an energetic trader, he was most anxious to
co-operate heartily in reopening all the trade routes,
his especial object, as was natural, being the restora-
tion of the central or embassy route, which had been
closed for some years by feuds between the Kakhyens
of the hills on the southern side of the Tapeng and
the Burmese officials. The cause of quarrel was
stated to have been an unprovoked attack, on the
part of the Burmese, on a few Kakhyens.

The tsawbwa possessed great influence over the
Kakhyen chiefs through whose territory this route
passes, an instance of which was speedily given by
the arrival of the chief of Namboke, accompanied
by his pawmines, and a strong armed guard, the
chief and his officers being mounted on ponies. As
soon as he saw Sladen, he went down on one knee,
in the most respectful manner of greeting, and
recalled himself to his recollection as having visited
us at Bham6 and received a present of a head-dress.
This chief scarcely resembled a Kakhyen, his naturally

THE HOTHA MAEKET. 283

Tartar-like cast of" countenance being heightened by
his Chinese skull-cap and dress. After remaining
one night and expatiating on the advantages of the
embassy route, he set out for home, bearing a letter - >
from Li-lot-fa to all the Kakhyen chiefs, which the "p\
pawmines were to carry forward, inviting them to
come in and arrange for our safe progress to Bhamo.

The bazaar or market, which is held every fifth
day, took place on the 12th. There are no shops
or shopkeepers, except where the Chinese reside,
among the Shans, and all sale or barter is necessarily
conducted at these regular markets or fairs, which
are thronged by the people of the valley and
adjacent hills. The Hotha fair was held on a grassy
slope, about half a mile distant from the town.
There were no permanent or temporary stalls,
the vendors simply sitting down in long lines with
their goods before them. One section was devoted
to the sale of sword blades, the manufacture of
which is a speciality of this valley, and another to the
wooden scabbards and handles. After buying two
fine blades for four shillings each, I was assured that
the vendor had charged one-third over the value.

Another quarter was devoted to the sale of sam-
shu, and close by it were the restaurants, where the
hungry customers refreshed themselves with hot
pork, vermicelli, or an article exactly like it, various
vegetables, and peas, all hot and nicely served in
little white bowls. The butchers' quarter was amply
supplied with pork and beef, and fowls and ducks

284 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

were plentiful. Long lines of Kakhyen women
from the hills offered for sale joss-sticks, pears, apples,
plums, peaches, mustard leaves, and a variety of
hill vegetables, along with basketfuls of nettles, as
food for the swine, which are an invariable adjunct
of a Shan household.

In the centre of the market, on a double row of
stalls, were displayed various kinds of Shan cloth,
Shan caps, Chinese paper, rice cutch, flint, and lime,
which are brought from Tali-fu, white arsenic, yellow
orpiment, &c. In another quarter, English green
and blue broadcloth was selling at twenty shillings
per yard, along with red flannel, for which the
Kakhyens have an especial affection. It seemed to us,
however, that, although the price was high, a very
few pieces would " glut the market."

Indigo, the universal dye of the dark blue-clad
Shans, Kakhyens, and Chinese of Western Yunnan,
also had its own quarter. The fair was thronged with
people, the elder busy chaffering over their few wares,
and the younger strolling about and gossiping.
Almost all were clean and well-dressed, and there
was an absence of the poverty-stricken class, which
had been so numerous in the various towns of the
Sanda valley, all appearing to be well-to-do, to judge
from their appearance. The women, as a rule, were
little and rather squat, with round, flaf,, high-cheek-
boned faces, and slightly oblique eyes. Some of the
younger women, with fair skins and rosy cheeks,
might have been accounted good-looking, but were

THE SHAN PEOPLE. 285

disfigured by the strange custom of dyeing the teeth
black, which is the fashion among Shans of the better
class. The dye is probably a preparation of cutch,
and, according to the tsawbwa, the custom originated
in a desire to preserve the teeth from decay.

For the first time we noticed the peculiar and
picturesque dress of the Chinese-Shan women. The
men, with the exception of an occasional red turban,
were dressed in the universal dark blue. The costume
of the Hotha Shan women only diflfered from that
remarked in the Sanda valley in the prevalence of
dark green jackets and the number of large silver
hoops worn round the neck.

It will be well here to summarise, even at the risk
of repetition, our observations on the Shan inhabitants
of these valleys, who belong to the Tay-shan or
Grreat Shans of the Tai race, the branches of which,
under different names, are found extending to the
eleventh parallel, their various states being tributary
to Siam, Burma, or China. The Shan population where
it has been absorbed into the Burmese kingdom has
become assimilated in language and customs with the
dominant race, from which they can scarcely be distin-
guished. Throughout the valley of the upper Ira-
wady above Bham6, but with the Kakhyen hills inter-
posing their stratum of hill tribes between them and
their brethren of the Chinese states, the Shan element
predominates, though contending ^vith the wilder
Singphos to the west of the valley. The inhabitants,
though speaking Burmese, still preserve the Shan

286 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

language, and retain the physical and other charac-
tepstics of their race.

lyThe little states of Manwyne and Sand a, Muangla,
Muangtee, Muangtha, or Hotha and Latha, and
Muangwan and Muangmow, which lie on the right
bank of the Shuaylee, are the remains of the Ko-
shanpyi or Nine Shan States, forming the chief com-
ponent parts of the Shan kingdom of Pong, con-
quered by the Chinese in the fourteenth century, j'
Bhamo or Tsing-gai, with the country extending to
Katha, or perhaps to Tsampenago, and the upper
part of the valley of the Irawady, with Mogoung as
its chief town, were the last remaining independent
remnants of this state, and have been included in
Burma since the annexation by Alompra in 1752 of
the semi-independent state of Mogoung.

It seems most probable that the walled Chinese
town of Muanglon represents Muang Maorong, the
ancient capital of the Pong kingdom, and the
Chinese Shan states of Sehfan and Muangkwan, and
possibly the state of Kaingmah, which is reckoned
among the Koshanpyi, are under the jurisdiction of
its Chinese governor, as the states we visited are
dependent on Momien. Throughout Yunnan, and,
according to Grarnier, as far as the confines of Tong-
king, the Tai race is widely diffused. The names of
towns and districts seem to indicate that this region
of lofty hills and great valleys was formerly the seat
of the Shan kingdom, and still — though intermixed *
with the wild hill tribes, and the descendants of

THE TAI OF YUNNAN. 287

the Cliinese colonists, who were settled in the
newly acquired conquests — the Shans, under the
name of Pa-y, hold their ancient ground. Mons.
Grarnier mentions that at Muang-Pong he found
villages peopled with Tai-ya settlers, who had fled
from the Mahommedan ravages, and settled beyond
the borders of Yunnan. His description of their cha-
racteristic dress and silver ornaments would almost
exactly apply to the Chinese-Shans of the Hotha valley.
He describes some Tai-neua* refugees met with at
Kiang-hung or Xien-hong itself, and remarks on the
resemblance between these two divisions of the Shans.
As soon as he had passed into the country where
the Laotian language ceased to be understood, on the
confines of Yunnan, near Se-mao, " The inhabitants
presented an intermediary type between the Chinese
and the Tai race. This mixed type faithfully repre-
sents that of the ancient population of Yunnan, or
that of the Tai, who were conquered by the
Chinese." And at Yuen-kiang he remarks : " The
Tai, whom the Chinese call Pa-y, are the ancient
inhabitants of the country of Muong-Choung, which
is now called Yuen-kiang. They are more numerous
and more independent as the frontier of Tong-king
is approached." Thus the Chinese province of
Yunnan on the one side and the upper portion of
the valley of the Irawady on the other contain a
largely preponderating element of Shan population,

* Thai-neua is applied to the northern Shans. ' Voyage d'Ex-
ploration,' p. 409.

288 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

their national characteristics, however, gradually-
becoming obliterated by the influence of the ruling
races respectively. Owing to their local position,
which has preserved their subordinate independence,
the little nest of valleys, cradled in the parallel
secondary ranges which lie between the Salween and
the Irawady, has preserved, almost unmixed, the
relics of the ancient Shan kingdom, and it is with
their inhabitants, so far as our observations extended,
that we have to do. It is with some uncertainty
that the terms Shans proper and Chinese Shans are
used ; not so much as indicating a theory of race as
to serve as a practical distinction between the two
divisions, which, though claiming to be one in race
as in language, will be seen to present curious
diiferences ; while the Chinese-Shans, or Sino-Shans,
as some have called them, may, according to the
evidence of the French explorers, really represent
the original Tai race more directly than the Shans
of the Tapeng valley and the Irawady valley.

The Shans proper of these valleys are a fair race,
somewhat sallow like the Chinese, but of a very
faintly darker hue than Europeans, the peasantry,
as a rule, being much browned by exposure ; they
have red cheeks, dark brown eyes, and black hair. In
young people and children, the waxen appearance
of the Chinese is slightly observable. The Shan
face is usually short, broad, and flat, with pro-
minent malars, a faint obliquity and contraction
of the outer angle of the eye, which is much

PERSONAL AJPPEAEANCE OF SHANS. 289

more marked in the true Chinese. The nose
is well formed, the bridge being prominent, almost
aquiline, without that breadth and depression cha-
racteristic of the Burman feature. The lower jaw
is broad and well developed ; but pointed chins
below heavy, protruding lips are not infrequent.
Oval faces laterally compressed, with retreating
foreheads, high cheekbones, and sharp retreating
chins, are not infrequent ; and the majority of the
higher classes seemed to be distinguished from the
common peojjle by more elongated oval faces and a
decidedly Tartar type of countenance. The features
of the women are proportionately broader and
rounder than those of the men, but they are more
finely chiselled, and wear a good-natured expression,
while their large brown eyes are very scantily
adorned with eyebrows and eyelashes. They become
much wrinkled by age, and, judging from the num-
bers of old people, appear to be a long-lived race.
They are by no means a tall people, the average
height for men scarcely reaching five feet eight,
while the women are shorter and more squat in
figure. The only difference between the Shans and
Poloungs, so far as my limited observation went, seems
to be that the latter are darker and smaller ; but the
Chinese Shans, or Sino-Shans, of the Muangtha valley
differ widely from their congeners. They are a much
smaller race, their little, squat figures and broad,
short flat faces reminding one of Laplanders. The
cheekbones are very prominent, and their faces are

u

290 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

much flatter and shorter than those of the other
Shans. The breadth between the eyes, which are
markedly obhque, is considerable, and the mouths are
heavy, with protruding lips. In the women these
characters are more pronounced, and their complexion
strongly resembles that of the Chinese.

In the ordinary attire the Shans, except the Chinese
Shans, are almost uniformly dressed in sombre dark
blue, the dye being obtained from the wild indigo. In
full dress, however, the women display an appreciation
of colour which would delight an artist. The peculiar
head-dress, like an inverted cone, has been already
alluded to. It consists of a series of long blue scarves,
a foot broad, and of a total length of forty to fifty feet,
wound round and round the head in a huge turban,
towering upwards with a backward slope, like that of
the Parsee head-dress. The folds are arranged in a
crescent over the forehead with most exact precision ;
the free end, embroidered in gold and silk, and some-
times adorned with silver pendants, hangs gracefully
down the neck. The hair, left uncovered in the
hollow of this structure, is. adorned with silver hair-
pins, the heads of which are richly enamelled to
represent flowers and insects. The jacket, of blue
or green, and sometimes pink, is short and loose,
with a narrow and erect collar. Thin square plaques
of enamelled silver fasten it at and below the neck, to
which are sometimes superadded three rows of large
round silver bosses, enriched with birds and flowers
enamelled in various colours. The loose sleeves are

COSTUME. 291

folded back from the elbow, displaying massive silver
or silver-gilt bracelets. A tight thick skirt of cotton
cloth, deeply bordered with squares of embroidered
silk or satin, close-fitting leggings, and embroidered
shoes, complete the toilette, a richly variegated
cloth being sometimes worn as a girdle. A Shan
lady thus attired is incomplete without a silver flask-
shaped scent-bottle about three inches across, adorned
with silver studs and pendants terminating in round
silver bells, which jingle as the wearer moves.
Silver chatelaines are also worn, and a needlecase
formed of a silver tube, enamelled and studded,
enclosing a cushion, which is attached to the waist.
Silver neck-hoops, ear-rings, and rings, which deserve
particular description, complete the adornments of
the Shan helle, who, moreover, is seldom seen
without her long-stemmed pipe, with its small bowl
of glazed clay.

The male peasants wear a long double-breasted
jacket of blue cotton, buttoned down the right side,
often with jade, amber, or silver buttons. Of the
same material are their short wide trousers and
thick turbans, with a long fringe at the free end,
which is usually coiled up with the pigtail on the
outside. Long strips of blue cloth wound round
the shins serve as leggings, and their shoes are made
of cloth resembling felt, embroidered with narrow
braid and soled with leather. A very broad straw
hat covered with oiled silk serves as an umbrella
against vain or a scorching sun.

u 2

292 THE HOTHA. VALLEY.

The better classes, such as the headmen of the
towns, wear long blue Chinese coats reaching to the
ankles, and black satin skull caps ornamented with
Chinese figures worked in. gold braid. The little
boys don blue cotton caps, braided, with a red top-
knot, and garnished with a row of silver figures of
guardian nats. A silver chatelaine, with a number of
little instruments, such as tweezers to depilate the
face, ear and tooth picks, is frequently worn by the
men. It hangs from the button-hole by a long silver
chain, ornamented with beads of jade, amber, or glass,
or with grotesque figures of animals carved in jade or
amber. Two essentials in a Shan's equipment are his
dah and tobacco-pipe. The dah has a blade two feet
and a half to three feet in length, expanding from the
hilt to the almost square point, which is nearly three
inches broad. The wooden handle is bound with
cord covered with silver foil, and ornamented with a
tassel of goat hair. The wooden half-scabbard is
attached to a ratan hoop worn over the right
shoulder. These dahs are chiefly manufactured by the
Muangtha Shans from iron imported from Yunnan.
They use charcoal as a fuel, and a bellows made of
the segment of a large bamboo, with a piston and
valve at each end. They supply all the hill tribes
with weapons, and, as before remarked, resort to
Bham6 and elsewhere to work during the winter
months. These weapons exactly I'esemble those made
by the Khampti Shans, and, like them, are keen and
well tempered. The tobacco-pipes are remarkable on

THE CHINESE SHANS. 293

account of their elaborate silver steins, ■which are
frequently a yard in length, and enriched with ena-
melled flowers and silver twist. Sometimes the stem
swells at intervals into elongated silver spheres. A
long bamboo stem intervenes between the silver and
the bowl of glazed earthenware. The wealthier
Shans frequently use the Chinese hookah, and the
poorer the Chinese brass or iron pipes with small
bowls. Tobacco, home-grown and of very excellent
quality, is carried in small round boxes made of
buffalo hide covered with red varnish. They are
made in two halves, the upper overlapping the under,
the hide being moistened and stretched over a wooden
mould.

The costume of the Chinese Shan women of Hotha
and Latha differs in a marked manner from that
already described. They wear the Shan jacket and
loose trousers like the men, and usually are bare-
footed. The back part of the jacket is prolonged to
the knees in a half skirt, and a double Chinese apron
in front overlaps it, so as to complete the dress. Besides
the large silver plaques, epaulets are worn, of small
semi-spherical discs, connected by a line of silver but-
tons from shoulderto shoulder. The broad waistband
of the apron expands behind into a richly embroidered
piece, which is a peculiar characteristic of this people.
A still more distinctive mark is the head-dress, from
which the high turban is absent. The hair is divided
and gathered up on the crown of the head, when it is
plaited into the ends of a flat chignon encircled by a

294 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

ratan hoop covered with red cloth. This is kept in
position by means of twenty-five to thirty silver pins
headed with thin plates of silver embossed or engraved
with leaves and flowers, and so disposed as to form a
silver coronal. Outside this is wound a slight blue
turban, to the pendant fringes of which are sus-
pended a number of silver rings. In full dress four
much larger hairpins, with elaborate heads eight
inches in length and three inches across, are worn.
They are overlaid with silver wire cunningly wrought
to represent the stems and leaves of plants, which are
enamelled green, brown, and yellow, and enriched
with flowers in the same material, the petals formed
of red and blue stones, and little silver spheres repre-
senting the unopened buds. Sometimes yet another
inner circle of smaller pins, each headed with a
cluster of four small caps, is added ; and an elaborate
head-dress forms a circle or an aureole of silver
flowers fully a foot in diameter. The various
patterns of hairpins are of the most intricate con-
struction. The simplest are made chiefly of silver
wire and flat pieces of silver cut into fantastic figures
or forms of trailing plants in full flower, the colours
being enamelled in green, blue, purple, and yellow.
Some are wrought in the finest filigree, one beautiful
specimen representing a swan-like bird resting on its
outstretched wings among a bed of flowers. The
feathers of the wings are most effectively wrought in
silver wire, and among the leaflets stand up little
coils of silver wire, each terminating in two square

SILVER HAIR ORNAMENTS. 295

cusped discs of silver. These stroBgly resemble the
capsuled stems of mosses ; and the general appear-
ance of these pin-heads suggests that the artist has
derived his inspiration from the study of a grassy
sward covered with flowers and moss; indeed, the
most fashionable form of this ornament consists of
two tiers of leaf-work, the uppermost supported on
fine wire, while through its interstices the capsuled
stems rise from the lower tier, as flowers rise above
the grass.

This distinctive head-dress of the Chinese Shans
seems to characterise the Pa-y or Tai women in the
south of Yunnan. M. Gamier describes those of
Yuen-hiang as wearing long silver hairpins, from the
ends of which hung a profusion of pendants. Their
costume consists of a showy corset with a little jacket
over it, a petticoat with a broali coloured border, and
apron ; and he particularly describes a high collar
made of red and black stuff, on which little silver
studs are arranged in patterns reminding him of the
armed collar of a " bouledogue." The front of the
vest is also thickly studded with similar ornaments.
The Pa-y ear-rings are of very delicate workmanship,
the usual pattern being a large ring supporting a
small square plate with numerous pendants, much
resembling those of the Chinese Shans. The married
women of the latter especially invariably wear a
silver or silver-gilt ring, overlaid with studs or fili-
gree work, to which is attached a jade or enamelled
silver disc. The Chinese Shan girls wear a tube of

296 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

silver, from which is suspended an inverted rosette
set with a circle of club-shaped pendants. From the
centre of this flower-like ornament hangs a filigree
ball and rosette set with a garnet. The ear orna-
ments of the Shans proper are of two kinds, only one
of which, worn by the young girls, can be called an
ear-ring — the large circle of silver wire suspending
a flat spiral ornament resembling a favourite pattern
of the Roman period in Europe. There are three
forms of the second or of the cylindrical type,
necessitating a large opening in the lobe of the ear,
but by no means so large as the ear ornaments of the
Burmese beauties, which are sometimes an inch and a
half in diameter. The first are made of a piece of
bamboo, which is covered with silverfoil, one end
being finished by a piece of cloth, which is effec-
tively embroidered with the green wing-cases of a
beetle, red seeds, and Chinese devices in gold thread.
The second form is a short cylinder of silver, with a
cross piece engraved with Chinese figures. The third
is nearly two inches long, widening into a disc fully
an inch in diameter, and terminating in a silver knob.
The front is composed of open silver filigree.

These silver ornaments will be seen to be thoroughly
characteristic of the Shans, who, it need not be said,
are expert silversmiths, their simple tools consisting
of small cylindrical bellows, a crucible, punch, graver,
hammer, and little anvil. In the Sanda valley the
phoongyees are the chief artificers ; but in Hotha thfe
trade is still confined to the laymen. Their enamels, of

SHAN HEAD-DEESS, BRACELETS, AND EAE-ORNAMENXS.

Fig. I. Chinese Shan chignon encircled with silver hairpins.

2. Shan silver bracelet.

3. „ „ „ in filigree.

4. „ „ „ enamelled.

5. Chinese Slian girl's ear-drop.

6. 1. Shan woman's tubular ear ornaments.

8. Shan finger ring.

9. Silver tube for enclosing a needle cushion.

To face page 296.

TOEQUES, BEACELETS, AND EINGS. 297

which we could not discover the materials, are very
brilliant, and employed with beautiful effect in the
floral patterns, which form the principal stock of
designs. The only other forms of ornamentation, the
rope-shaped fillets and rounded studs or bosses,
singularly resemble those found on the diadems and
armlets of the early historical periods of Scandinavian
art. The plain torques or neck rings in use, especially
among the Hotha Shans, only differ from the ancient
Irish type by their more rounded form, and by the
pointed ends being bent outwards, in lieu of being
expanded into cymbal-shaped faces. Another kind
of torque is of the same shape, but covered with leaf
ornaments and cones in filigree and enamel alter-
nating with red and blue stones or pieces of glass.
Torque-like hollow rings, covered with floral enrich-
ments, are worn as bracelets ; sometimes they are gilt
with very red gold and enamelled, a jewel being
usually set in the centre. Another form is a silver
hoop, nearly two inches in breadth, with rounded
edges and filigree borders, most elaborately set with
floral rosettes of three circles, rows of leaves, brown,
green, and dark purple, centred by a large silver
stud.

The finger-rings are generally made of rope
wire, either with conical or flat spiral coils; but
one curious type is formed of an oblong orna-
mented silver plate an inch long, and as broad
as the finger. A half-circle from either side
enables it to be worn on a finger of any size. Many

298 THE HOTHA^ VALLEY.

of the rings are jewelled with garnets, moonstones,
and pieces of dark green jade, but no valuable gems
were observed. The men commonly wear ordinary-
Chinese rings of jade or amber.

The women are constantly engaged in weaving and
dyeing, for the yarn from home-grown cotton is spun,
dyed, and woven by their industrious fingers. They
are adepts at needlework and silken embroidery ; and
all the clothes worn are made and ornamented by
the women of each household. Straw-plaiting is
another of their industries, and the broad-brimmed
straw hats made in the valley would compete with
the finest Leghorn fabrics. Another art in which
they excel, apparently borrowed from the Chinese, is
the manufacture of elaborate ornaments for the hair
from the sapphire blue feathers of the roller bird
{Coracias affinis). These are fastened on paper cut
to imitate wreaths and flowers ; and with copper
wirej gold thread, and feathers, laid on with the
greatest nicety, very pretty simple ornaments are
produced, which are often brightened by the addition
of a ruby or some other gem.

The stuffs woven in a loom similar to that in use
by the Kakhyens are of all degrees of texture, the
finer' kinds, used for jackets, being very softj and
usually figured with large lozenge-shaped patterns of
the same colour. A marked feature of the textile
fabrics and embroideries of the Shans, and indeed
of their ornamentation generally, is the reproduc-
tion of conventional patterns, handed down from

TEXTILE FABEIOS — AGRICULTURE. 299

their forefathers without any attempt to improve
or vary them. The Shan designs of the nine-
teenth century probably are identical with those
of the fourteenth, and are simple modifications of
the lozenge, square, and stripe ; these modifications
may be, and are, almost endless, and the combinations
of the elementary forms most intricate, while the
ground of the fabrics in which the patterns are
wrought is usually covered with numerous small
truncated almond-rounded lozenges, interspersed with
figures of the sacred Henza, or Brahminical goose.
The chief beauty of their textile fabrics consists in
the wonderful grouping and harmony of the colour-
ing ; and in the employment of their vivid full and
half tints of blue, orange, green, and red, they are
all but unrivalled artists.

The great body of the Shan population is engaged
in agriculture; and as cultivators they may take
rank even with the Belgians. Every inch of ground
is utilised; the principal crops being rice, which
is grown in small square fields, shut in by low
embankments, with passages and floodgates for irriga-
tion. During the dry weather, the nearest stream
has its water led off, and conducted in innumerable
channels, so that each block, or little square, can be
irrigated at will. In the valley of the Tapeng,
advantage is taken of the slope of the ground to
lead canals to fields several miles away from the
point of divergence. At our arrival in the beginning
of May, the valley from one end to the other appeared

300 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

to be an immense watery tract of rice plantations
glistening in the sunshine, while the bed of the
river was left half dry by the subtraction of the
water. Tobacco, cotton, and opium are grown
on the well-drained slopes of the hills, the two
former for home use ; but the white-flowered poppy
is cultivated to supply the requirements of Chinese,
Kakhyens, and Leesaws. A considerable quantity
of Shan opium finds its way to Bham6, and thence
to Mandalay, and also to Mogoung, whence it is dis-
tributed among the Singphos.

The land is tilled by a wooden plough with an
iron share, drawn by a single buff'alo. Men and
women work together, but the heavy tillage is done
by the former, the weaker sex being only employed
in weeding and thinning. Vegetables are grown
round every house, and form an important article
of diet. Numbers of fine cattle and pigs are reared
and killed for eating, their flesh, with all kinds of
poultry, being largely used, and sold freely in the
markets, for the Shans have no Buddhist prejudices.
The milk, however, is not used. The entrails of
animals, as among the Burmese, are much used in
Shan cuisine ; a very fair soup, made of the intes-
tines of fowls, being a favourite dish of the Hotha
tsawbwa, who insisted, when dining with us, on
substituting it for our soup, which he did not approve.
The large larvaa of a giant wasp, and stewed centi-
pedes, are Shan dainties which we could not ap-
preciate.

SOCIAL CUSTOMS. 301

Their principal stimulant is sam-shu, or rice-spirit ;
but during our stay amongst them, we observed
scarcely an instance of intoxication. The vice of
drunkenness and the licentiousness common amongst
all their neighbours seem almost unknown among
this industrious self-supporting race. They are social
and good-humoured, but by no means as jovial as the
Burmese, compared with whom they are a quiet,
rather sedate people.

As a rule, each man is content with one wife, but
polygamy is allowable to those who are wealthy
enough ; thus the Hotha chief had several wives at
various villages. All that is required to contribute
a valid union is the sanction of the parents, mutual
consent, and interchange of presents between the
contracting parties, but no religious rite whatever
is observed on the occasion of the wedding.

They are a musical race, and possess many simple
wild airs, which they play on stringed and wind
instruments. Of the former, which are played like
a guitar, one is about three feet in length, with three
strings and a broad sounding-board ; another is only
half the size, the sounding-board being a short
drum-like cylinder, with a snake skin stretched
across it. This instrument was also a great favourite
with the Momien people, and is probably of Chinese
origin. The most usual wind instrument is a sort
of flute, made of bamboo, with a flask-shaped gourd as
mouth-piece, and the sound is full, soft, and pleasing.
The long brazen trumpets, which are a sort of state

302 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

appendage of the tsawbwa, are only blown to an-
nounce his arrival, or to do honour to his guests.

The chiefs, although paying an annual tribute to
the authorities at Momien, exercise full patriarchal
authority in their states ; assisted by a council of
headmen, they adjudicate all cases, civil and criminal.
The tsawbwa is the nominal owner of all land,
but each family holds a certain extent, which they
cultivate, paying a tithe of the produce to the chief.
These settlements are seldom disturbed, and the land
passes in succession, the youngest son inheriting,
while the elder brothers, if the farm is too small,
look out for another plot, or turn traders ; hence the
Shans are willing to emigrate and settle on fertile
lands, as in British Burma. The chiefs naturally do
not approve of this, and it is to be feared that the
recent emigration of these Shans to our provinces
has in the last few years excited the ill-will of the
tsawbwas against the British officials, whom they
accuse of inducing their people to desert them. In
ordinary times of peace and prosperity, the inha-
bitants of these valleys must have been very thriving,
and the chiefs very wealthy, tokens of which appeared
in their haws, though most of them had been much
injured before our visit ; but at this time they were
certainly impoverished, and, without doubt, many of
the valuable articles of dress and jewellery offered to
us for sale belonged to the chiefs and their families.
The great anxiety of the peaceable Shans was for the
restoration of order, and though they all earnestly

EXCUESION TO OLD HOTHA. 303

longed for the re-establishment of the imperial
Chinese regime, they were, in the meantime, most
ready to befriend those whose mission was to
establish a route for commerce, necessitating peace
and order as the conditions of its maintenance.

We found it impossible to obtain a guide to the
southern side of the valley of Hotha beyond the
Namsa, which is a very small mountain stream. The
tsawbwa declared that the bridge had been washed
away, and that the road was deep in mud ; but he
himself planned an excursion for us to visit another
house belonging to him at Tsaycow, some miles to
the east of Hotha. The chief set off early in the
morning to prepare for our reception, and we followed
at midday. The road, paved with boulders, and
near the villages with long dressed slabs of granite,
wound over the grassy spurs, the slopes of which
were cultivated with tobacco and cotton. The moun-
tain streams, running over rocky channels encum-
bered by large boulders particoloured with green
moss and lichens, were spanned by bridges of gneiss
or granite, those over the larger streams being
handsome arched structures, twenty to twenty-five
feet in span, with a rest-house at either end, and the
parapets often guarded by stone dragons. Each
village was approached by a long narrow lane arched
by trees and feathery bamboos, terminating in a
picturesque gateway, and bordered by stone drinking
fountains. The houses were embowered in trees,
pear, apple, chestnut, peach, and sweet lime, forming

304 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

orchards round the villages, and the triple roofs of
substantial khyoungs and occasional pagodas crown-
ing the knolls, completed the rural picture, with a
background of green slopes of grazing land running
up to the rearward wall of mist-clad mountains. One
small pagoda, called Comootonay, differed altogether
from the ordinary Burmese type, in its peculiar
shape and attenuated long spire, which rose to
a height of fifty feet. Five miles of pleasant
riding past a succession of thriving and pic-
turesque villages, orchards, and khyoungs, brought
us to Tsaycow, or Old Hotha, a much larger place
than the present town of that name, embowered in
trees, and delightfully situated on a spur at the
opening of a little dale, down which flowed a fine
mountain stream. The chiefs house, formerly
his head-quarters, which was built in the Chinese
fashion, though smaller than our residence, had the
advantage of a better site and superior condition, the
private apartments especially being richly decorated
with elaborate carvings. In the inner reception hall
we were welcomed by the tsawbwa, and, after being
refreshed with tea, were conducted by him to see two
khyoungs, one Shan and the other Chinese, built,
after his own designs, one above the other, on the
hillside behind the village. The Chinese temple,
which occupied the highest site, was enclosed by a
high wall, with a gate leading into a courtyard
bordered by cloisters on either side, while a raised
pavilion occupied the end, opposite to which, and

A SHAN-CHINESE TEMPLE. 305

above all the other buildings, towered the shrine,
crowning the highest of two terraces faced with
granite. Covered staircases led from the cloisters to
the higher level, each terminating in a little rounded
tower containing a large bell. The temple occupied
the whole of the terrace, with verandahs, paved with
stone, to the front and rear. A Httle stream bubbled
up into a small basin in the front, and then formed a
cascade from terrace to terrace into the court below.
Two entrances led from the verandah into the
temple, between which a large window exactly faced
the altar-piece. On a table in front of the window
stood vases with incense and flowers, and a number
of boxes containing the library. The altar-piece,
an admirable example of open woodcarving, about
twenty feet high, resembled a huge triptych,
containing three recesses about ten feet from the
ground. It was enclosed by a simple wooden railing
four feet high, and before it stood a small table,
whereon incense is burned, and at either end two
others, with a wooden fish and drumstick on each.
The three recesses contained life-sized figures, each
with a gauze curtain in front. A beam projecting to
the front wall from either side supported two life-
sized figures, and along each side wall eighteen small
figures were ranged on a platform, with a vase
and joss-sticks before each. The tsawbwa acted as
cicerone, and explained that the central figure was
Ohowlaing-lon_, the king of all nats, who had existed
before Gaudama. The figures on either side are

X

306 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

called Coonsang, and act as his pawmines or agents,
to execute his orders ; and the four standing figures
are the rulers of the four great islands or quarters
of the globe, who keep a record of all the actions of
their subjects. After death each man is brought
before Ohowlaing-lon, and by him consigned to the
Coonsang, who, according to the report given by
the rulers, make them over to one or other of the
thirty-six nats representing the army of the Thagya-
meng, ranged in order along the sides. One of these
nats was represented with six arms, armed respec-
tively with a beltj bow, arrow, club, and dagger,
while one hand was empty as though ready to seize
a victim. All the others were in different attitudes,
each holding some kind of weapon, and having a
long scarf-like band round his neck and shoulders,
reaching to the ground, to serve as wings, recalling
to our minds the flying people visited by Peter
Wilkins.

The lower or Shan khyoung consisted of two oblong
buildings on different levels. A grim-looking nat
or Beloo guarded the door leading into the temple,
where sat three colossal Buddhas, the Past, Present,
and Future. On either side were two guardian
figures, one mounted on a pigmy elephant, and the
other on a mongrel monster, half lion and half tiger.
At the feet of the Buddhas was a well executed
figure of a tortoise; while vases of incense and sweet-
smelling flowers placed on a table sent up their sweet
odours to the calm impassive faces above them. At

SHAN BUDDHISM. 307

eacli side of the building, sat a row of life-sized figures,
cleverly executed, and one especially, representing a
shrivelled old man, v^ith his chin resting on his knees,
and the flesh tints admirably given, displayed real
artistic power. In the lower temple, which was
open in front, the middle of the central wall was
occupied by a figure of Kwan-yin holding the child,
and surrounded by a number of small adoring
figures sculptured in relief ; above her head a parrot,
holding a rosary in its bill, was perched on a twig.
On the other side of the wall, so as to be back to
back with the Chinese goddess, sat a colossal Buddha
flanked by two gigantic figures, one of which held a
rat. The tsawbwa declared that all these temples had
been erected in honour of Buddha ; and he narrated
th.e history of Kwan-yin, who was the daughter of an
ancient emperor of China, but, assuming ihe- white
robe of a rahanee, spent her days in a forest, devoted
to pious meditation. The mixture of ancient poly-
theism and Buddhism in the story was an apt illus-
tration of the confused form of religion represented in
the shrines.

Our visit was concluded by a sumptuous dinner
at the tsawbwa's house, the great point of etiquette
apparently being to leave no part of the table
unoccupied by dishes, save a margin for the guests
to use their chopsticks. After dinner the tsawbwa
introduced the subject of religion, and was much
surprised at our not believing the doctrine of suc-
cessive existences. Speaking of Gaudama, he

s 2

308 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

distinguislied him from Buddha, and was anxious to
learn from us in wliat country he, Gaudama, was at
present living.

The Buddhism of the Shans is, as has been already-
noticed, marked by great laxity among the phoon-
gyees, and the most active religious feelings among
the people belong to the belief in and worship of nats.
During our stay, on the the 13 th of August, the fire
festival of the Shans was celebrated, and about
twenty bullocks and cows were slaughtered in the
market-place ; the meat was all speedily sold, part
of it being cooked and eaten, while the remainder
was fired out of guns at sundown, the pieces which
happened to fall on the land being supposed to
become mosquitoes, and those in the water leeches.
Immediately after sunset the tsawbwa's retainers
began to beat gongs and blow long brass trumpets ;
after dark, torches were lit, and a party, preceded
by the musicians, searched the central court for the
fire nat, who is supposed to lurk about at this season
with evil intent. They then prosecuted their search
in all the apartments and the garden, throwing the
light of the torches into every nook and corner
where the evil spirit might find a hiding-place.
Three other festivals are annually devoted to the
nats of rain, wind, and cold.

The eclipse of the sun which happened on the
18th of August, commencing at 9.5 a.m., had been
predicted by us at various places, and here also.
The diminution of light was, as the Shans admitted,

ECLIPSE OP THE SUN. 309

not sufficient to have called their attention to it,
unless forewarned. The tsawbwa showed his usual
intelligence by being able to use the telescope. As
soon as he had satisfied himself that the eclipse had
really commenced, he ordered his saluting guns to be
fired, and the long trumpets to be blown, while, at
his earnest request, we were obliged to order out
the police guard to fire two volleys ; all this was to
terrify some monster that was threatening to devour
the sun. The chief, however, Hstened attentively to
our endeavour to explain the natural causes of the
phenomenon, and even imparted them to the excited
crowd which flocked eagerly about us.

Some of the khyoungs in the valley were altogether
sacred to the Chinese deities Kwan-yin and Showfoo,
the Prah, or god of the Yunnan Chinese, with various
evil nats and famous teachers, such as Tamo, to
the utter exclusion of any trace of the Buddhistic
creed.

At a dilapidated little temple close to Hotha,
dedicated to certain nats, the entrance was guarded
by two horses, each with a horseman standing at its
head. Similar figures of horses, tended by a man
in Tartar costume, occurred in the khyoung at
Muangla, and the reader may remember that the
Manwyne women paid daily offerings of rice to the
horse's image in the khyoung at that town. The fact
that the Shans are a race of horse-breeders and
horsemen may account for the preservation of this
curious relic of their pristine religion, along with the

310 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

primaeval propitiation of the dangerous nats, or
powers of earth, air, and water.

The principal Buddhist thyoung of the valley,
situated in the pretty walled village of Tsendong, is
perfectly free from any admixture of their older super-
stitions. The tsawbwa, who acted as our cicerone,
seemed very proud of the temple, which was declared
to be very old. It is built on a low stone platform,
surrounded by a narrow terraced verandah, the whole
of the outside being roughly but skilfully carved.
It contained richly gilt book cabinets, and elaborately
carved altar-pieces, and might have been transported
entire from the Burmese plains. The remains of an
old and venerated phoongyee, who had died two
months previously, lay in state under a double-roofed
temporary pavilion, close to the khyoung. The
sarcophagus, supported on two dragons, was a hand-
some structure, surmounted by a richly carved minia-
ture pagoda. The ground had been levelled, and was
kept scrupulously clean, and the whole enclosure care-
fully railed off. On a neighbouring terrace stood an
octagonal zayat, enclosing a small pagoda. It was
built almost entirely of wood, with five roofs, dimi-
nishing in size upwards, and capped by a golden
htee. A series of open windows of carved wood-work
ran round the building, and over each were two
beautifully carved panels, representing a single object,
as a bird, deer, plant, or bat. Each roof was raised
on three projecting bearers, terminating in grotesquely
carved heads. The enclosed pagoda was a square

EOADS FEOM HOTHA. 311

structure, witli a delicately tapered spire reaching to
the interior of the highest roof.

The presence of these purely Burmese buildings
in the Hotha valley, while pagodas are altogether
wanting in the valley of the Tapeng, is probably due
to the vicinity of the ancient embassy route, but
in 1769 the Burmese appealed to the existence of
pagodas in this valley as a proof of their ancient
right to include it within their boundaries.

The heavy rains which continued during our stay
at Hotha delayed our progress, and at the same time
prevented more complete explorations of the neigh-
bourhood.

As already mentioned, we were to proceed over the
Kakhyen hills, at the western end of the valley,
the plan of crossing into Muangwan being im-
practicable, so far as we were concerned, although a
Burmese surveyor was detached to examine the route.
As before stated, we were debarred from even visit-
ing the southern heights, but Mr. Grordon and I made
an excursion to the eastern head of the valley, where
it is closed in by a transverse ridge connecting the
two ranges. A good road led to the ridge, which
was crossed by a narrow track, the highest point
not being more than four hundred feet above Hotha.
A steep declivity led down into another valley,
probably branching off from Muangwan. To the
east-north-east, another valley could be descried,
leading in the direction of Nantin, which lies one
thousand one hundred feet lower. Through the

312 THE HOTHA VALLEY.

mist and heavy rain, glimpses of high hills were
dimly seen on every side, and we concluded that the
Hotha valley, as a thoroughfare to Momien via
Nantiuj would present more difficult heights to he
surmounted than the valley of the Tapeng.

"We learned that from Old Hotha a road led to
Muangla, reaching the Sanda valley by a gorge
of lower elevation and more gradual descent on the
northern slope than the route by which we had
climbed up and scrambled down in our passage from
Manwyne. Even an excursion, however, beyond
the limits of the Hotha valley was rendered impossible
by the presence of Li-sieh-tai and his force in
Shuemuelong. We accordingly addressed ourselves
to quit the pleasant quarters at Hotha, and recross
the Kakhyen hills to the Burmese plain, all the
chiefs of the hill tribes along the route having
attended in person or by deputy at a meeting on
August 22nd, when satisfactory arrangements had
been made for our transit.

ADIEU ! 313

CHAPTER XL

FROM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

Adieu ! — Latha — Namboke — The southern hills — Muangwye —
Loaylone — The Chinese frontier — Mattin — Hoetone — View of
the Irawady plain — A slippery descent — The Namthabet — The
Sawady route — A solemn sacrifice — A retrospective survey.

On the 27th of August we bade adieu to our
friends at Hotha, the wife and daughters of the chief
coming out to " see us off"; while their tears, and
reiterated requests that we would soon come again,
might have been called forth by the departure of
some near relatives or very dear friends. We offered
to shake hands, " English fashion," which the eldest
daughter declined, as it was contrary to Shan eti-
quette, but the young wife of the chief mustered up
courage to defy public opinion. The saluting guns
were fired, and we started amidst the good wishes of
a large crowd. The tsawbwa rode with us as far as
the boundary of his domains ; and all along the route
his people turned out with many demonstrations of
good-will to the departing strangers. On the borders
of Latha, our friend took leave of us with evident

814 FROM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

regret, and handed us over to the care of the
Kakhyen chief of Napiboke.

The Latha district is naturally even more pic-
turesque than that of Hotha. The hills are nearer,
and the glen, as it might be called, is more thickly
wooded. The town of Latha, which we passed near
at hand, though separated from the road by the
Namsa river, appeared to be the largest and most
populous in the whole valley. We were precluded
from visiting it by the unwillingness of the old chief-
tain to receive the foreigners. A present and polite
messages were, however, sent by our leader en passant,
and a return present and complimentary message,
personally dictated by the chief, were brought back
by our messengers. The message attributed his
inability to receive us to the prejudices of some of
his subjects. He promised that, whenever we should
come again, he and his people would be prepared to
welcome our presence. His subjects seemed to be no
less thriving than those in the other section. All
along the route, many-roofed khyoungs, rising above
the rich greenery, marked the whereabouts of
villages, and pagodas of a very striking type covered
the rounded hills and thickly wooded knolls.

We crossed the Namsa by a long wooden bridge^
and soon found ourselves involved in a perfect maze
of little conical grassy hills, which blocked up the
western end of the valley. The road turned to the
left from the narrow glen of the Namsa, and gradu-
ally ascended, following the course of the Namboke

NAMBOKE. 315

stream, and, crossing anumberof small hills, attained
the summit of the first spur of the easterly barrier of
the valley. From this point to Namboke, the road
wound over a succession of spurs, till the village was
reached, lying among a group of little wooded hills
formed by the junction of spurs of the secondary Hotha
range with the great southern barrier of the Tapeng
valley, which here unite. After a march of fourteen
miles, performed in five hours, we arrived at 5 p.m.
in a downpour of rain, which did not make the roofless
shed provided as quarters at all inviting. The
tsawbwa then conducted us to his house, where we
alighted under a salute of three guns, and were
accqmmodated partly in the strangers' hall and
partly in the portico, which latter proved populous
with enemies to sleep. The urgent hospitality of the
Namboke chief compelled us to gratify him by a
day's halt ; and it was only by dogged determination
that our leader succeeded in effecting a start at mid-
day on the 29th.

From Namboke we descended into a deep hollow,
and thence gradually ascended to the ridge of the •
main range bordering the Tapeng gorge, along
which we travelled to Ashan, eight miles distant,
where we put up for the night in Kakhyen houses.
The footpath which did duty for road had been
recently cleared of jungle by the Kakhyens, the fresh
marks of whose dahs were visible on either side,
as we wound through magnificent virgin forest.
From occasional points of vantage on open hill brows,

316 FEOM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

we looked down on a sea of foliage, unbroken by any
clearing or sign of human habitation. From the
summit level of the ridge, we looked to the right
across the valley of the Tapeng, and saw Ponsee
lying, a little speck, on the opposite slope, halfway
between the Tapeng and the summit of the lofty
Shitee-doung, also called Shitee Meru, as if after the
Sacred Hill, The territory of Ponsee extends from
this summit to that of Kad-doung, which rose
behind us, so that Ashan with its dozen houses lies
within the Ponsee borders. Below us, to the left,
two narrow deep valleys ran east and west, separated
by a low ridge, the termination of the southern
boundary of Hotha, which speedily lost itself in the
bewildering maze which results from the division
and commingling of the great spurs of the main lines
of upheaval of these mountains. In every direction,
as far as the eye could reach, extended a sea of hills,
some rising in great dome-shaped masses six thousand
feet above the sea, clothed to their summits with
dense forest, unbroken by any cultivation. The
greater number of the lesser hills had been evidently
cleared, and their abrupt slopes seemed, as it were,
fashioned into huge flights of broad steps, the terraces
for the rice and maize crops, while by the aid of a
good field-glass little Kakhjen villages could be
detected dotting the slopes.

We left Ashan in heavy rain, and commenced to
descend in a southerly direction. The path led along
the crest of a spur running down to a village. The

MUANGWYE. 317

ponies and mules could not keep their feet on the wet,
slippery paths, and kept sliding down on their hind-
quarters. As steep declivities bordered the path,
the descent was not without risk, and a pedestrian
could only keep his footing by catching hold of the
long grass, and so lowering himself down.

Having crossed the Namkhong, swollen by the
rains into a tempestuous stream, which taxed the
uttermost strength of the ponies, the path lay over a
wet and muddy alluvial flat into another valley and
across another torrent. "We then made a very steep
ascent up the mountain side, passing the village of
Lasee, perched on a lofty rounded peak. From the
height we gained a full view of the ranges to the
southwards, nmning nearly parallel to each other,
east-north-east and west-south-west, with intervening
valleys, much broken up by spurs. A descent of a
few hundred feet brought us to the village of Muang-
wye, on the southern slope of a hill covered with
trees and enormous granite boulders.

Our halt here was a device of the local tsawbwa,
who was anxious to have the honour of entertaining
us. The other chiefs had gone on to Loaylone with
the baggage and commissariat, expecting us to pro-
ceed to that village as our resting-place for the night.
The chief did his best to reconcile us to his hospitable
ruse by a hearty welcome and liberal supplies of
sheroo and samshu.

The usual and direct route from Ashan to Hoetone,
the last Kakhyen village before descending to the

318 FEOM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

plain, only occupies one good day's marcli ; but the
anxiety of the respective chiefs to entertain us caused
them to lead us from village to village, and make
three marches instead of one ; and as the rain was
almost incessant, and the path up and down the hill-
sides slippery in the extreme, we found Kakhyen
regard almost as embarrassing as the former hostility.
The next day we crossed the Muangkah stream,
about fifteen feet across, and flowing in a deep nullah,
which is the boundary line between the Lakhone
and Cowlee Kakhyens, into whose borders we now
entered. The glen was very narrow, but the rich
black soil very fertile, judging from the appearance
of the small rice fields. The only bridge was a felled
tree, less than a foot broad, with a ricketty bamboo
tied on as a handrail, along which we scrambled,
almost envying the animals, which swam across.
Ascending another ridge, we passed the remains of
the old Chinese frontier fort , commanding this route,
as a custom-house, as that above the Nampoung com-
mands the Ponsee road. A hundred feet below, the
village of Loaylone occupied a steep slope, stretching
out in an amphitheatre. This was the largest and
most thriving Kakhyen village we had yet seen, and
the chief's house presented the unusual feature of a
high bamboo fence enclosing it. The chief was
bountiful in his supplies of fowls and sheroo ; and in
the evening his younger brother, the tsawbwa of
Mattin, paid us a visit, and proved to be the most
polished and intelligent Kakhyen we had met, his

THE CHINESE FEONTIEE. 319

manners and style being fully equal to those of any
Burmese or Shan gentleman. His dress was a
mixture of Shan and Chinese, but his hair was
arranged in Burmese fashion. He proved to be
perfectly acquainted with Burmese and Chinese, and
held a long conversation on the advantages of re-
establishing trade, in which he professed the utmost
readiness to co-operate. He was very anxious that
we should become his guests at Mattin for several
days ; and, after exhausting the pleas of the ill-
health of some of the party, the rains, &c., we were
obliged to urge that delays on the way would pre-
judice the minds of our rulers against the embassy
route. It was necessary to remain a day at Loaylone,
as, according to custom, the mules and porters had to
be paid off here, and replaced by others belonging to
the Cowlee Kakhyens. The ordinary central route to
Momien is said to be from this place to Muangwan,
a view of which valley can be gained from the
Chinese fort of Loaylone, whence the road leads to
Nan tin, avoiding the Hotha valley. There was,
of course, some trouble with the muleteers, who
invariably put forth extortionate demands, only to
be met by firm refusal. At the very moment of our
departure, two of the Namboke pawmines laid an
embargo on a mule-load of luggage as a pawn for
payment for some rice, which they had already
received.

The direct road to Hoetone is only six miles by a
comparatively level route along the paddy fields.

320 PEOM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

but the necessity of accepting Mattin's invitation
lengthened our march to fifteen miles, involving the
ascent of one of the highest ranges. In a glen below
Loaylone we met a caravan of mules from Bhamo
laden with cotton and salt. From this point steep
ascents over a succession of spurs, and descents into
shallow valleys, brought us to the summit of the
main ridge at an elevation of five thousand feet.
Close to our left, and five or six hundred feet higher,
rose the high dome-shaped hill which we had sighted
from Ashan. To the south-east and south rose a few
still higher peaks, but none apparently exceeding an
elevation of six thousand feet. The summit of this
ridge was covered with fine turf and a few trees, and
strewn with enormous granite boulders, under the
shelter of which were built the houses of a small
village named Loayline.

From this point we began to descend the main
mass of the Kakhyen hills, and soon arrived at the
village of Mattin, situated on the ridge of a spur.
A salute of three guns and a musical clash of gongs
and cymbals announced our arrival, and we were
ushered up a broad flight of stone steps leading to a
Chinese gateway in a substantial brick and stone
wall. "Within this stood the chief's house, of
Kakhyen design, but, by its construction and rich
ornaments of carving, deserving the name of a
Kakhyen palace. After being duly presented to
the chief 's family, and admired by an enthusiastic
crowd of his subjects, who, be it said, were vastly

HOETONE. 321

superior both in their appearance and dress to their
compatriots of the northern hills, we were conducted
into a small external pavilion, and refreshed our-
selves in privacy.

From Mattin a descent of two miles brought us to
Hoetone, situated on a flattened depression of the
same spur, strewn with huge gneiss and granite
boulders. In front of the tsawbwa's house three flat
blocks of stone, about three feet high, were fixed in
the ground in line, which were described as the altar
whereon buffaloes were offered to the nats. We had
observed similar stones in a grove outside the village,
which the numerous skulls strewn about showed to
have been the scene of numerous offerings. In this
place there was also a circular wall, three feet high,
with one of the standing stones built into it, and the
ground covered with the decaying skulls of sacrificed
buffaloes. The next morning we were visited first
by the aged tsawbwa of Hoetone, accompanied by his
wives, children, and grandchildren, all in their best
attire, and laden with the usual presents of fowls,
vegetables, cooked rice, and sheroo. The next to
appear were the tsawbwas of Kadaw £tnd Sakhiy,
dressed in ancient black satin jackets, with their
womankind attired a la Kakhyen, but decorated with
a profusion of Shan silver ornaments. The sub-chief
who had followed us to Momien, and died there
of small-pox, was a son of Kadaw, and although
he had come to Momien of his own accord, Sladen
considered it just to promise to the old father that

322 FEOM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

when at BhamS, lie would consult with the other
chiefs as to compensation for his son's death. With
this assurance the father departed well pleased ; but
a younger brother of the deceased thought fit to
bully and demand instant payment, and enlisted a
few of the muleteers on his side. The usual Kakhyen
wrangle and bluster ensued, but being met with firm
expostulation, according to custom, ended in nothing ;
but our departure had been thereby delayed till mid-
day, when we gladly recommenced our descent to the
plains.

In dry weather it is usual to travel from
Hoetone to Bhamd by Momouk, across the plain, on
the left bank of the Tapeng ; but the low grounds
being now under water, it was necessary to proceed
to the Tapeng below its exit from the hills, and
descend it in boats to Bhamo. A short distance below
Hoetone, we came to a division in the road, and a dis-
cussion ensued with the Mantai tsawbwa, who was
acting as guide to the advance party of the cavalcade,
as to the proper path to follow. One road, along the
spur which we had descended, appeared evidently
to be the direct route, as the other turned off to the
left down a deep hollow, towards another spur to the
southward. This, the tsawbwa insisted, was as good
and as short as the other, and we perforce followed
him. From the brow of the spur a noble panorama
of the extensive plain of the Irawady burst upon our
view.

The great river, now swollen to its fullest width,

A SLIPPEEY DESCENT. 323

wound like a broad band of silver through the plain,
and our followers literally jumped and shouted with
joy at the prospect, realising the speedy termination
of their six months' wanderings. Those of our party
whose dignity forbade such demonstrations rejoiced
no less in spirit; for even this grand hill scenery
becomes wearisome when one has to scramble up the
steep mountain paths and slide down the counter
slope in torrents of rain. We could not grumble
at the slight detour which the Mantai chief had
imposed upon us, for the whole population of his
village was eagerly awaiting our arrival, and saluted
us with five guns. In his house, which was enclosed
with a bamboo palisade, mats were spread for us,
and his wife and daughters, two almost handsome
maidens, vied with each other in demonstrations
of welcome and proffers of very excellent sheroo.
Leaving them highly delighted with a few bright
silver coins and compliments, we remounted, and
began a slippery descent through bamboo jungle, in
which there was a fair chance of being impaled on
the fallen stems, as the ponies slid down on their
haunches, utterly unable to change their course.
Having at least reached four thousand feet below
Hoetone, we had to cross at the bottom a roaring
mountain torrent by a newly constructed bridge.
A large boulder lay in midstream, and two large
bamboos were placed from it to the banks on
either side, with smaller cross pieces to keep all
secure ; this primitive and rickety bridge, about

T 2

324 FKOM HOTHA TO BHAM6.

eighteen inches wide, sloped down to the stone, and
then rose up at a steep indine to the other hank. It
was a perilous path for man and beast, for to lose
one's balance meant being swept down by the resist-
less current into the Tapeng, The level ground on
either side of the stream was closed in by high hills,
which echoed with the roar of the latter river ; but
the high grass which covered the alluvial flat hid
it from us, until, having crossed a low spur, we came
upon the banks of the foaming yellow flood, rushing
down to the plains in a magnificent torrent. About
two miles further, we left the Tapeng, and turned to
the south-west, and, crossing a low spur, came upon the
right bank of a moderate-sized, deep-flowing stream,
with a very strong current, called Namthabet, which
flows into the Tapeng, at its exit from the hills.
This stream had to be crossed by a raft, which two
Kakhyens had been sent from Hoetone to construct,
but they had only completed half their task when we
arrived. We were therefore compelled to bivouac, and
all hands set to work to construct the small bamboo
huts thatched with grass, which the Burmese call
tai. The night was fine, but tne sandflies proved
utter foes to sleep, defying mosquito curtains ; and
the morning brought a tremendous thunderstorm,
followed by torrents of rain, as if the hill nats
wished to give us a farewell benefit.

As soon as the raft was completed, the jemadar
and a number of Burmans embarked, furnished with
long bamboos to pole it across; but the current

THE NAMTHABET. 325

swept it down stream, and it was only saved by the
men jumping into the water and pushing it to bank,
where all held on by the overhanging branches. The
Kakhyen method of stretching a rope across the
stream was next resorted to, and under the expe-
rienced direction of Captain Bowers a strong rope
of the outer layer of the bamboo was speedily
improvised. This attempt also failed, for the rope
broke in two when the raft was in midstream, but
the men kept firm hold, and hauled themselves to
the opposite bank. At last we succeeded, by means of
two ropes, in ferrying all the party across, drenched
to the skin by the rain and river water. On the left
bank we were met by the choung-sa of Tsitgna with
an escort, sent to accompany us to Nampoung, on the
Tapeng. Before us lay a line of low hills, running
nearly north and south, dividing the valley of the
Namthabet from the Burmese plain, into which they
fade gradually by long undulations. Their eastern
face is covered almost exclusively with bamboos, but
the western slope is thickly wooded with numerous
species of forest trees, until the plain is reached, when
eng trees and tall elephant grass take their place. On
arriving at the Tapeng, after a march of five miles, we
found two large boats in readiness, one of them nicely
carpeted, and carrying a band of musicians beating
gongs and tomtoms. All our party, including the
Kakhyen chiefs who had accompanied us, being em-
barked, we were towed by two war-boats^ each manned
by thirty men, across the broad and quickly flowing

326 FEOM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

Tapeng, to the village of Tsitgna, where we were
conducted by the Woon's private secretary to a small
pavilion, comfortably arranged for our reception. The
Burmese officials were most attentive ; gratuitous
supplies of eatables were brought in abundance, and
even the Kakhyen chiefs and their followers were
supplied with all they needed.

On the 5th of September we settled the hire of
the mules and porters without the slightest disagree-
ment, all the baggage having been safely delivered,
without the loss of a single article between Hotha
and Tsitgna. Even the load of the mule detained at
Loaylone, which had been divided into bundles for
two porters, arrived safe, and, to the honour of the
Kakhyens be it said, without so much as even an
opened bottle of brandy being tampered with.

The next morning we embarked on boats con-
structed of two canoes, carrying a platform and a
canopy or roof of leaves overhead, and glided down
the broad deep Tapeng, which this season is one
thousand five hundred feet wide, and deep enough
for an ordinary river steamer, as far as the hills.
On the way down, we looked back for a parting
glance at the Kakhyen hills. On either side of the
river rose the two lofty peaks, the Shitee-doung on
the north and the Kad-doung on the south, seem-
ing to stand like sentinels, to guard the routes to
China, and in a very literal sense, for the old Chinese
forts and frontier custom-houses occupied strong
positions on either mountain, and the boundary line

THE SAWADY EOUTE. 327

of the Flowery Kingdom is almost defined by these
heights. Near the mouth of the river we were met by
the tsare-daw-gyee with two war-boats, which towed
us to Bhamo, where we landed at 2.30 in the after-
noon of September 5th, having left it on the 26th of
February.

The Burmese surveyor who had been despatched
from Hotha to examine the route to Sawady had
arrived at Bhamo on the 26th of August, having
accomplished his journey in ten days. He had
travelled in the disguise of a Shan, accompanied by
a guide recommended by the Hotha chief, and our
own Kakhyen interpreter. Carrying no instruments
except an aneroid for measuring the heights, he had
performed his task of observations very satisfactorily.
From Hotha he had crossed the intervening ridge,
seven hundred feet above the Muangtha valley, into
the much larger valley of Muangwan, lying at about
the same level as that of Nantin. This Chinese Shan
state was governed by the grandmother of th'e youth-
ful tsawbwa, acting as regent during his minority.
She and her headmen agreed in promising safe
conduct to all English traders adopting that route.
A constant stream of mules and pack bullocks was
described as passing from Sawady to Muangwan,
whence they proceeded either to Nantin or to
Muangkun. The route was clear of all obstructions,
and smooth and even throughout. Two Kakhyen
districts were passed through, named Bhagon and
Phonkan, in the. latter of which the highest elevation

328 T JFEOM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

occurs. Both agreed to maintain the old Chinese
tariff of one rupee for mules and eight annas for
bullocks, and the Phonkan chief expressed his wish
that English traders would adopt this route, and
guaranteed their safety.

Our old quarters in the town of Bham6 had
been thoroughly repaired, and were ready to re-
ceive us, while the tsawbwas, who had accompanied
us, to the number of thirty-one, all of whom ruled
districts adjacent to the central route, were housed
by the Burmese in zayats outside the stockade.
The object of their attendance was to take part
in a solemn sacrifice according to their custom,
and to enter into an engagement ratified by the
most binding oath, that they would afford safe con-
duct and protection to all traders and travellers who
might hereafter cross their hills between Bhamo
and the Shan states. The ceremony took place on
the 13th, after sundry open objections and hidden
obstacles raised by the Burmese, who, no doiibt,
were at first rather puzzled by the transaction, but,
after clear explanations by Major Sladen, raised no
further difficulty. A species of scaffold was erected,
consisting of strong posts sunk into the ground, with
cross pieces, to which the victim, a buffalo, was bound.
An altar was reared twenty feet in height, with a
square platform of bamboos, on which the offering
was placed. Before the sacrifice, and again before
the offering was made, the nats or deities were duly
invoked in a solemnly chanted prayer. The buffalo

A SOLEMN SACEIFICE. 329

was firmly bound by its horns to the scaffold, and
then thrown on one side, so that the whole weight
of the body bore on the partially twisted neck.
A Kakhyen rushed forward, in one hand holding
a plantain leaf cup full of water, and brandishing
his dah in the other. Simultaneously the water
was thrown over the victim, and the fatal blow de-
livered in the neck with a force and effect as fatal
as the stab of the matador. The carcase was at once
cut up, the blood being received in a large vessel,
while the entrails were laid as offerings to the nats
on the elevated altar. With the blood a quantity of
samshu was mixed, and stirred up with the points of
dahs and spears, and each chief in turn drank from
the bowl, and uttered his vow of fidelity to the
common cause. Such was the rite that the three
chiefs had joined in at Ponsee when leagued for our
destruction, and now thirty-one chiefs bound them-
selves solemnly to maintain peace and give protec-
tion to future travellers through their borders. This
was the concluding act which terminated our ex-
pedition, and it may be permitted to us to look back
with satisfaction to the fact, that of the whole party
which set out of Bhamo, with the exception of one
sepoy and a native collector, who siiccumbed to
disease, all returned in safety. The natives of the
Kakhyen hills and of the Shan valleys Lad learned
to regard their at first suspected or dreaded visitors
as friends and benefactors ; and if the advance had
been slow, and in the opinion of some costly, the

330 FEOM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

return had been easily accomplished, and not without
a wealth of " golden opinions " won from the various
chiefs with whom Englishmen for the first time had
been brought in successive relations.

It is scarcely within the scope of this volume to
review the political aspect of the work performed,
but it is impossible to refrain from some comments.
The term failure has been freely applied to the out-
come of this expedition, and the conduct of the leader
has been, only recently, most harshly criticised.
Considering that his instructions, as received from
the Chief Commissioner of British Burma, were to
investigate thoroughly the causes of the cessation of
trade, to discover the exact political position of the
Kakhyens, the Shans, and the Panthays, and to
influence these communities in favour of the restora-
tion of commerce, it can hardly be alleged that the
prescribed objects were not fully attained. While
it had been considered by the superior authorities
desirable to advance to Yung-chang, or, if possible, to
Tali-fu, the leader had been strictly enjoined not to
risk the safety of the members of the mission. From
Bhamo he had to feel his way, contending against
intrigues on the part of the Kakhyens and misunder-
standing on the part of the Shans, fomented by the
misrepresentations of the jealous Chinese merchants
at Bhamo. The country to be traversed was un-
known, and in an abnormal state of confusion.
Where Burma ended, and China commenced, was

A EETEOSPEOTIVE SUEVEY. 331

a problem, for the ancient frontier lines had been
temporarily obliterated, the authority of the man-
darins had receded into the interior of Yunnan,
and that of the usurping Mahomraedan rulers was
only partially felt to the westward of Momien. Not
till that town was reached could the desired informa-
tion be obtained, or the true relation of the inter-
vening valley states to Burma or China be discerned.
Not a step forwards had been taken without securing
beforehand the consent, and, as it proved, the welcome,
of the various rulers, subordinate or supreme ; and
care was especially taken to disown any political
partisanship, and to proclaim to all that our object
was to explore in the interests of commerce.

When, after a short stay at Momien, it became
evident that further progress was at once dangerous
and in the existing state of things liable to embroil
us with Chinese constituted authorities, a return was
resolved on, and only retarded by uncontrollable
circumstances. To have obeyed orders, and in
various and trying positions to have manifested
a patient endurance in order to reach the farthest
possible goal, and return thence with the wished for
information, and thus prepare the way for future
travellers, may not be accounted brilliant exploits ;
but these are the arduous duties of a careful scout
and a successful pioneer. The reader can form his
own opinion as to whether these were not worthily
performed by Major Sladen.

332 FEOM HOTHA TO BHAMO.

Those who shared his journeyings, though not his
responsibilities, and witnessed his cautions and re-
solute bearing under novel and perplexing conditions,
cannot but record their opinion that he deserves a
larger meed of praise than has been as yet accorded
to his conduct of the first English expedition to
Yunnan.

BEITISH EESIDENT AT BHAMO. 333

CHAPTER XII.

IKTERMEDIATE EVENTS.

Appointment of a Britisli Eesident at Bhamo — Increase of native
trade— Action of the Mng of Burma — Burmese quarrel with the
Seray chief —British relations with the Panthays — Struggle in
Yunnan — Li-sieh-tai — Imperi alist successes — European gunners
—Siege of Momien — Fall of Tung-chang — Prince Hassan visits
England— Fall of Tali-fu — Sultan Suleiman's death — Massacre of
Panthays — Capture of Momien— Escape of Tah-sa-kon — Capture
of Woosaw — Suppression of rebellion — Imperial proclamation —
Li-sieh-tai, commissioner of Shan states— Ee-opening of ti-ade routes
— Second British mission — Action of Sir T. Wade — Appointment
of Mr. Margary— Members of mission— Acquiescence of China and
Burma.

The first active step taken by the Chief Commis-
sioner of British Burma, as a result of the expedi-
tion of 1868, was to recommend the appointment of
a British Resident at Bhamo. The various Shan and
Kakhyen chiefs, as well as the governor of Momien,
had concurred in the opinion that such an appoint- ,
ment would be beneficial to the future trade.

By the 6th article of the treaty of 1867 it had
been provided that British steamers should be allowed '> ■
to navigate the Burmese waters, thM British mer-
chants should be permitted to reside at Bhamo, (!''>
and, lastly, that British agents might be appointed

334 INTEEMEDIATE EVENTS.

at all customs stations, such as Bham6 and Menhla.
The government of India, however, while approving
of the appointment of a British Resident at Bham6,
declined to pass final or definite orders until the king's
sentiments should have been ascertained, and a dis-
tinct assent given by him. His Majesty had already,
when the matter was mooted, declared that he would
take care that his officer, the Woon, should co-operate
with the Resident ; but, according to the instructions
given, that the plan should be laid before him as one
" requiring a clear understanding, and a full approval
on the part of his Majesty," it was made the subject of
a special audience. The king expressly declared that
the appointment of a Resident at Bhamo had his full
consent and approval ; but he hoped that " obstinate
or intractable officers, guided solely by their own
opinion, without regard to advice or reason," would
not be sent. He further desired that the new official
might be presented to himself, when he would
introduce him to the Woon of Bhamo, in order to
arrange their mutual relations. The spirit in which
the king entertained and acquiesced in the proposal
may be taken as an illustration of the manner in
which the king of Burma has shown himself disposed
to deal with the formidable power which holds the
seaboard of his kingdom. Fully alive, as he must
have been, to the possible embarrassments that might
arise from his relations to England on the one hand,
and to his suzerain, the emperor of China, on the
other, it cannot be said that he has failed to carry out

INCEEASE OF NATIVE TEADE. 335

his treaty obligations to our government ; and when
the misrepresentation of which he has been the sub-
ject is taken into account, it will appear that the king
of Burma has some right to complain of the treatment
he has received at the hands of the British public.

In March 1869, Captain Strover was gazetted as
the first British Eesident at Bhamo, and in due
course the British flag was hoisted at that ancient
entrepot of Indo-Chinese trade. It is almost need-
less to remark that, as regards direct British com-
merce, no considerable results followed. In 1872 it
was reported that not a single consignment belong-
ing to British firms had arrived at Bham6 during the
three previous years. ^The native trade increased
considerably, and the Chinese merchants of Rangoon
and Mandalay had despatched large quantities of
cotton and salt, and other commodities, as well as
a moderate supply of piece goods, i In the spring of
1870, the arrivals at Tsitkaw averaged eight hundred
mules a month. During the two following years
caravans of one thousand beasts of burden are
recorded as arriving from the Chinese territories.
The river-borne trade increased so much that the
agents for the Irawady Flotilla Company found that
the monthly steamer service to Bhamo was insuffi-
cient, and besides the extra steamers placed on the
line by them, the India General Steam Navigation
Company despatched steamers and heavily laden
flats. To quote a correspondent of the Times, " in
four years the steam navigation developed itself into

336 INTERMEDIATE EVENTS.

an almost regular fortnightly service, which, during
the year ending October 1874, carried cargo to the
value of about £200,000 to and from Bhamo."

The king of Burma showed "his anxiety to restore
the trade of the Bhamo route by erecting and gar-
risoning a line of guard-houses through the Kakhyen
hills, from the plain to the Nampoung, beyond which
river, as being the boundary line of China, Li-sieh-tai
would not permit their erection.

In 1872, no less than one hundred and fifty
thousand viss of royal cotton were stored at Man-
wyne under the charge of the king's agents there
resident, and it is expressly noted that, so far as the
Burmese are concerned, British goods could have
been forwarded with perfect security. / The Mandalay
j Chinese, however, were deterred (1871) from buying
cotton for the Yunnan market by the information
that the imperialist officers had laid an embargo
on tEe (^xavans, to prevent them from supplying
the Panthays with provisions. The caravans were
not infrequently attacked by dacoits, especially
near Nantin, and the Kakhyen chief of Seray was
accused by the Burmese of having intercepted
royal presents on their way to China. The tsare-
daw-gyee of Bhamo, by way of reprisal, seized
thirty mules belonging to the Seray chief, whence
arose a feud, which was not forgotten at the period
of the second expedition. At this time, it resulted
in the messengers sent by the Resident to the
governor of Momien being warned by the Seray

RELATIONS WITH PANTHAYS. 337

chief not to travel that road, as it was unsafe for
any Burmese.

(Jit was a necessary, but regretable, consequence
of the reception given to the first expedition by the ,
governor of Momien that he maintained friendly
relations with successive Eesidents. I It appeared
desirable^ with a view to maintain the security of
the trade route, to keep on friendly, though strictly
neutral, terms with the holders of the commanding
position of Momien. It is, doubtless, easy to look
back, and be wise after the event; but, rightly or
wrongly, the intercourse once begun could not be
well abandoned ; at all events, it was judged prudent
to maintain it. It certainly created in the minds
of the Chinese at Bhamo a distinct impression that
the interests of their possible commercial rivals and
of their actual political foes were identified. /The ]>k
Kakhyen chiefs of the southern route even com- "'
plained that since they and the Shans had become '"
friends of the English the Bhamo Chinese were no
longer amicably disposed towards them. I The pre-
sents sent by the Residents from time to time were,
doubtless, magnified by the popular imagination, and
neither side found it easy to believe that the sole
object was the assurance of safe and commodious
transit. Thus at least it may be conjectured from
the study of the course of subsequent events, as
well as from the manifestations of feeling on the part
of both Panthays and Chinese.

The confiicting accoimts and reports which were

z

338 INTERMEDIATE EVENTS.

brought in, and which enable us in some degree to
trace the progress of events in Yunnan, which led to
the complete overthrow of the Mahommedan power,
all combined to show that, from the time of our
visit to Momien, the Chinese government would
seem to have aroused itself to the necessity of
recovering the almost lost province. Whatever the
real strength of the Mahommedans may have been
in 1868, it is certain that they had gradually lost
ground in 1869. The various reports furnished were
too contradictory, and, in truth, both the governor
of Momien and the Chinese were too much given to
exaggeration to furnish any trustworthy data. I In
1870, as was well ascertained, Li-sieh-tai was the
acknowledged leader of the imperialist Chinese troops
in the Momien district, and had invested Momien,
but had sujfered a defeat, and been obliged to
retreat into the Shitee-doung range of hills. 7/He
soon recruited his forces, and levied contributions
from the Shans, and also from the Chinese merchants
both of Bhamo and Mandalay. The latter were not
niOTed^ by patriotism, but by the nationaT feelings
of affection for. their, kindredj and respect for Iheir
ancestral graves in Yunnan .'1

Towards the end of that year, Momien had been
again invested by the Chinese, but a Panthay force
from the north had succeeded in throwing reinforce-
ments into the city, notwithstanding which, entrench-
ments were subsequently thrown up by the Chinese
troops, who, under Li and Li-quang-fang and another

IMPEETALTST SUCCESSES. 339

officer, pressed, the place hard, but to no purpose;
The imperialists seem to have poured troops into the
province, and a proclamation signed by Li was posted
in Bhamo, announcing that ten thousand troops had
surrounded Yung-chang. In the beginning of 1871,
the northern districts, which had been the cradle of
the rebellion, were held firmly by the Mahommedans,
and the city of Tali-fu was reported by two natives
of India, who came to Bhamo, to have been free- two
months before from the presence of imperialist trooJDS.
The Mahommedan troops then were in great force,
and had been despatched to the relief of the threatened
cities of Yung-chang and Shin-tin. ^he imperialist
troops were then attacking Yeynan-sin, to the north-
east of Tali-fu, and as they had cannon directed by
three European gunners, the Mahommedans, though
fighting with their usual bravery, suffered great
losses, and could scarcely make head against them.
Thus there were three lines of attack, one army assail-
ing Yung-chang and the neighbouring cities south of
the line between Momien and Tali ; the main force
advancing on the holy city itself, and_Li-jieh-tai
with his troops pressing the siege of Momien, where
the governor doggedly held out, though reported to
have been severely wounded, and kept up constant
communication with the Residency at Bhamo. By
the end of 1871, Yung-chang had been taken by the
Chinese, and Tali-fu was said to be closely invested.
Around Momien constant fighting continued with
varied success, one Chinese leader having been killed

z 2

340 INTEEMEDIATE EVENTS.

and his troops defeated ; but the Mahommedans were
bravely fighting a hopeless battle against overwhelm-
ing numbers, and the more faint-hearted among them
were advising surrender, or meditating treachery.
The Sultan Suleiman resolved on sending his son
and heir, Hassan, to solicit the aid or interference
of the British government, in order to avert the
threatened overthrow of his power, or secure tolerable
terms of peace. The young prince, as he may be
called, made his way in disguise, with a few
attendants, to Rangoon, and thence proceeded to
London, where he arrived in the spring of 1872. It
is needless to say that his errand was bootless ; but
he was treated as a private guest of the government,
and remained for some time in this country. On his
return he was accompanied by Mr. Cooper, who was
appointed in England to conduct him to the frontier
of our territory. The prince had himself proposed
that thence this well-known traveller should proceed
with him to Tali-fu, and thus accomplish the object
of his former venturous journey. En route they
visited Constantinople, where the Sultan received the
prince as a distinguished guest, and finally arrived
at Eangoon. Here they received the intelligence
of the capture of Tali-fu, the death of Suleiman, and
the utter destruction of the Mahommedan power. This
necessarily put a stop to their further journey, and the
unhappy Hassan set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

During his absence in Europe, the Chinese generals
had put forth all their power to capture the head-

FALL OF TALI-FU. 341

quarters of the rebels. For some months the natural
strength of the position of Tali-fu, to which all the
Mahommedans of the surrounding country had
retired before the advancing Chinese armies, defied
its assailants. Abundant provisions were stored
in the granaries ; and the garrison^ said to num-
ber thirty or forty thousand Mahommedans, were
determined to resist to the last. The chief
minister of the Sultan was entrusted with the
command of Shagwan, as the Burmese call the
fort of Hia-kwang or Hsia-kwan, and he was
bribed to admit the Chinese forces and surrender to
them fhe granaries. The artillery of the Chinese,
directed, as already stated, by European gunners,
rendered it impossible for the sultan to cope with
them in the field ; but he held out within the walls of
the city till provisions failed, and approaching famine
compelled him to enter into negotiations. He was led
to believe that, if he surrendered himself, his people
would be spared, and wilhngly agreed to sacrifice
his own life to save those of his followers. Know-
ing the fate which awaited himself and his family,
he administered poison to his three wives and five
children, and, having taken a fatal dose himself, pro-
ceeded in his chair to the Chinese general's quarters,
but died on the road. His head was cut off, and,
preserved in honey, was forwarded to Pekin, and
it is said that his three youngest sons were sent as
prisoners. The Chinese general then demanded that
the Mahommedans should surrender all their arms

342 INTEEMEDIATE EVENTS.

and ammuniticin, which was done. The officers were
then required to repair to the Chinese head-quarters to
pay their respects to the general. Forty-one obeyed
the summons, and on entering his presence were at
once seized and beheaded. Orders were then issued
for a general massacre of the disarmed and leaderless
garrison, and an indiscriminate slaughter of thou-
sands of men,, women, and children, completed the
conquest of Tali-fu. Thence the army marched
to Chun-ning-fu and Yin-chaw, which towns were
successively captured, no quarter being given to any
of the Mahommedans.

Another version of the fall of Tali-fu narrates that
the Mahommedans invited the Chinese to a confer-
ence at one of the gates, having previously mined the
ground. The Chinese came in force, but, struck with
a sudden suspicion of doubt, retreated just before the
explosion of the mine, which destroyed the gate and
part of the wall. The Chinese then returned and
stormed the city, but the citadel was too strong for
them, and held out till surrendered as above described.
The Mahommedans claimed in their version to have
been successful in their stratagem, and to have
destroyed great numbers of the enemy, of whom
many panic-stricken rushed into the lake, and
perished there. The fort or position of Hsia-kwau
was stated by the Chinese to have been stormed
by a night attack, headed by the Tartar general in
person, who led tlie way over rocky heights supposed
to be inaccessible. At all events, it is certain that

CAPTUEE OF MOMIEN. 343

Tali-fu fell in August 1872, and on the New Year
of 1873 the governor-general of Yunnan sent forward
letters to the king of Burma announcing the fact,
and requesting the king to assist in the re-opening
of trade, as the rebellion was at an end ; but, to use
the words of Sir Thomas Wade, " the rebellion died
hard," for Momien and Woosaw still held out.

The governor of the former place had been visited
by a high Panthay official, who was secretly a traitor
to the cause, and advised surrender ; whereupon the
governor invited him into his Yamen, and promptly
beheaded him. In February three officers arrived
from Momien at Bhamo with letters addressed to the
Chief Commissioner of Burma, and were forwarded
to Rangoon, j The town was finally captured in May,
the strong south-western gate described in page 192
having been successfully mined ; but the victors found
no one in the city. J The governor, had succeeded in
bribing the officer in command of the troops to the
north of the town, who had been a former adherent
of his own, and suffered his few remaining co-reli-
gionists to escape by night, much to the disappoint-
ment of the Chinese, who could not consider the
country tranquillised while so brave and able a
leader was at large. In June a proclamation was
posted throughout the Shan valleys, announcing the
marriage of the emperor and the fall of Momien,
and inviting all the people to return to their homes
and cultivate their lands.

The ex-governor was heard of from time to time as

344 INTERMEDIATE EVENTS.

lurking in the mountains with a few faithful fol-
lowers, and orders were issued from the king of
Burma that he should be seized if found on Bur-
mese territory, and surrendered to the Chinese. This
order was issued in compliance with a request sent
by an envoy from the viceroy of Yunnan to the
king ; but he managed to elude both Chinese and
Burmese, and succeeded in entering Hoothaw or
Woosaw, the last remaining stronghold of his party.
This place, three days' march north-west of Mo-
mien, is described as a town of one thousand houses,
surrounded by a stone wall twenty feet high, and
defended on one side by a deep stream, and alto-
gether stronger and more flourishing than Momien.
Its position must be at a high elevation, as in winter
the swamps are frozen hard enough to bear men on
the ice. Communication is carried on between this
place and Lay-myo,one hundred miles north of Bhamo,
on the Namthabet, an affluent of the Irawady, by
which route the officers from Momien reached Bhamo.
Woosaw was captured at the end of May 1874,
but the ex-tah-sa-kon and the principal officers suc-
ceeded in escaping to Chang-see, a town south-west of
Woosaw, and eight days distant from Talo, on the
Irawady, while his sons were at Tseedai assisting the
tsawbwa in a fight with the Wacheoon chief.

[The Panthays, in their turn, had become dacoits,
as they had formerly termed Li-sieh-tai's troops, and
from their lurking-places on the hills near Nantin
attacked the caravans going to Momiem; while the

SUPPRESSION OF REBELLION. 345

last news of the ex-tah-sa-kon, who for a time was
supposed to be dead, were that he had joined the Shan A
rebel Tsan-hai, who was committing acts of brigand- ''<f
age in the Burmese Shan state of Namkan, on the
left bank of the Shuaylee.

Thus in the middle of 1874 the Chinese authority
had been thoroughly re-established. As early as
August 1873, an imperial proclamation- had been
issued in the Pekin Gazette, in which the emperor
congratulated himself on the termination of the war,
which had lasted eighteen years, and in which the
half of the prefectural and district cities had been
taken by the rebels. All arrears of taxes due up to
1872 were remitted, and the le-kin, or special war
tax, was declared to be no longer required. ( Li-sieh-
tai was appointed commissioner ' of the Koshanpyi
or Shan states; and Sie-ta-lin, the newly invested
Chinese governor of Momien, and the officials of the
other strong towns, set themselves to restore trade
and resettle the country, which had been deserted
and left desolate for years. It can be well imagined
that no little hatred of the Panthays, not unmixed
with fear, animated all the border Chinese, and the
constant rumours that the rebels were collecting
for a new attack combined with the actual robberies
committed to keep all the Chinese officials on the qui
Vive.

It has been already mentioned how the trade
between Burma and China increased from 1872, as
soon as the head of the Mahommedan revolt was

346 INTERMEDIATE EVENTS.

crushed at Tali-fu. It is a significant fact that in
1873 the Chinese governor of Muanglong, situated to
the south-west of Momien, sent orders to his feudatory,
the tsawbwa of Seh-fan, to open trade to Bham6 at
any risk ; and the chief, in announcing the intended
departure of a large caravan, requested the Eesident
at Bhamo to send a deputy to meet him at Hotha.

The routes were regularly open, and large quan-
tities of cotton, &c., exported, both by Bhamo and
Theinnee, although disorders still existed,[and strag-
gling dacoits and lawless Kakhyens frequently
attacked the caravans.^ Under these circumstances,
the Chief Commissioner of British Burma, the Hon.
Ashley Eden, conceived that the time had come for
renewing, under more favourable conditions, the
opening of the overland trade route to British com-
merce. In this he was strongly seconded by the
commercial community at Rangoon, The question
of the establishment of a British Consul at Tali-fu
was also discussed. The first point to be attained
was to secure a safe transit from Burma into China.
The passage of a peaceful British expedition, which
would on its journey thoroughly examine the capa-
bilities of the country beyond Momien, and perhaps
discover an easier and better route from Bhamo to
Yunnan, was still regarded as the direct method of
preparing the way.

In 1874, Lord Salisbury, the Secretary of State
for India, decided to send a second expedition to
penetrate China from Burma, and pass through, if

SECOND BEITISH MISSION. 347

practicable,, to Shanghai. To avoid possible mis-
understahdihgs, and to make it plain to the Western
Chinese mandarins that the foreign visitors were of
the same nation as the English who lived and traded
in the treaty ports, her Majesty's Minister at Pekin
was instructed to send a consular official, duly fur-
nished with imperial passports, to meet the mission
on the frontiers of China. Having secured the full
permission of the Pekin government. Sir T, Wade
selected Mr. Margary, a young but most promising
member of the consular service, thoroughly versed in
Chinese language and etiquette, to proceed from
Shanghai to Momien. A plan had been at first
proposed of despatching a party by way of the
Theinnee route from Mandalay, but had been nega-
tived by the king of Burma, on the ground of a
rebellion then existing in a Burmese Shan state on
the road. Consequently there was no other alternative
but to proceed by one or other of the routes from
Bham8. The consent of the king was secured to
this measure, although at first his Majesty objected
to an armed escort, as he was quite willing to send
a sufficient force to convoy the mission to the Chinese
frontier ; but when he understood that the armed
escort would only consist of fifteen Sikhs, he with-
drew his objection, and promised his full support and
assistance. A. considerable quantity of valuable
presents were prepared for distribution among the
chiefs and officials en route. These included a supply
of edible birds' nests, jewellery, binoculars, musical-

348 INTERMEDIATE EVENTS.

boxes, and silver-mounted revolvers. Two valuable
horses, one a magnificent Australian or Waler, and
the other an Arab, were destined as presents to the
viceroy of Yunnan, and a pair of large Australian
kangaroo dogs were added to the convoy.

The command of the expedition was entrusted to
Colonel Horace Browne, of the Burmese Commis-
sion ; the post of geographer was filled by Mr. Ney
Elias, whose successful and intrepid journey through
Mongolia and survey of the Yellow Eiver had won
for him the Grold Medal of the Eoyal Geographical
Society of London ; and the remaining scientific
duties of naedical officer and naturalist were entrusted
to myself.

In November 1874, Mr. Elias, who was then
Assistant Resident at Mandalay, was commissioned
to proceed to Bhamo, there to concert with the
Resident measures for providing carriage so as to
avoid delay. He accordingly visited the Kakhyens
holding the route selected, and made a contract with
their chiefs for the conveyance and convoy of the
mission.

The expedition was appointed to leave Burma in
January 1875, in order to accomplish the passage
of the hill country before the setting in of the rainy
season. As it was possible that Mr. Margary, who left
Shanghai on September 4th, might not be able to
reach Momien in time, Mr. Allan, of the Chinese con-
sular ser\'ice, was sent by sea to Rangoon to accompany
the mission, and facilitate our intercourse with the

ACQUIESCENCE OF CHINA AND BUEMA. 319

Chinese authorilies. The preparations for ensuring
the success of the mission were thus rendered as
complete as foresight could make them. The respec-
tive governments of Burma and China had been
fully informed of the nature and purposes of the
expedition, and had both given to our diplomatic
representatives their full consent and promises of safe
conduct. The personal goodwill of the border chiefs
and mandarins was expected to be conciliated, in
the same degree as their official co-operation had
been secured by the passports furnished from Pekin ;
and although there was an element of uncertainty
arising from the possible jealousy of the border
Chinese and the plundering habits of lawless factions
among the Kakhyens, the precautions taken might
be well considered as enough to ensure success.

350 SECOND EXPEDITION.

CHAPTER XIII.

SECOND EXPEDITION.

Start of mission — Arrival at Mandalay — The Burmese pooay —
Posturing girl — Eeception by the meng-gyees — Audience by the
king — Departure of mission — Progress up the river — Reception
at Bhamo — British Eesidency — Mr. Margary — Account of his
journey — The Woon of Bhamo — Entertains Margary — Chinese
puppets — Selection of route — Sawady route — Bullock carriage —
Woon of Shuaygoo — Chinese surmises — Letters to Chinese officials
— Burmese worship-day.

In November 1874, Colonel Browne and myself
arrived at Calcutta, having left England on receipt
of telegraphic instructions in the preceding month,
A short time was devoted' to the purchase and pre-
paration of the various articles intended as presents ;
while the necessary equipment of scientific instru-
ments was completed under the personal supervision
of Colonel Gastrell, of the Surveyor-G-eneral's office,
and nothing was spared by this well-known officer
to make the fullest provision for all scientific pur-
poses. Fifteen picked men were selected from a
Calcutta regiment of Sikhs to form the guard, and
all being thus ready, we proceeded to Rangoon, and

AEEIVAL AT MANDALAY. 351

thence, in the Ashley Eden steamer, began our journey
up the Irawady on December 12th.

^t Promewe picked up a Chinese named Li-kan-
shin, who proved to be a nephew of Li-sieh-taiH He
had been driven from his abode at Hawshuenshan by
the Panthays, and had lived at Prome, where he bore
the Burmese name of Monng Yoh. He now wished
to return to Yunnan to visit his mother ; as he spoke
Burmese fluently, in addition to writing and speaking
Chinese, he was taken into the service of the mission
as an interpreter. At first he hesitated, fearing to
be punished for bringing foreigners into Yunnan,
but a sight of the imperial passport removed all his
scruples.

We arrived at Mandalay in the evening of Decem-
ber 23rd, 1874, and were received on landing by
officials sent from the palace with royal elephants
to carry us up to the Residency. Very different was
the reception accorded to the members of this mission
from the apparent neglect which had seemed to ignore
our existence when on the expedition of 1868. All
the marks of honour that are usually conferred on
distinguished visitors were duly paid. Silver dishes
loaded with dainties were sent from the palace, and
we were declared to be the king's guests, not only at
the capital, but until we should have passed his
frontiers, and have been safely handed over to the
Chinese. For our delectation, also, the royal corps
dramatique appeared to perform a pooay, or play, the
most favourite amusement of the Burmese, even to the

352 SECOND EXPEDITION.

very youngest, who will sit for hours, and night after
night, listening to the adventures of the royal heroes
and heroines, and enjoying the jokes which are freely
interspersed. The performance takes place under
an open pavilion of bamboos erected for the occasion.
There is no stage, but a circular space covered with
mats is reserved for tbe performers, and the audience
squat around the edge of the matted portion. The
only indication of scenery is a tree set up in the
centre to do duty for the forest, in which the scene
of all Burmese dramas is laid. By this tree a huge
faggot is placed and a large vessel of oil, and the
blazing flame, fed from time to time with oil poured
over it, illuminates the performance with a lurid
light, which gives a fantastic appearance to the
figures. A portion of the circle is reserved for the
orchestra, the leader taking his place inside a hollow
cylinder bung round with drums and cymbals, while
the lesser miisicians group themselves around the
noisy centre. No permanent theatre exists even
in the capital, nor are the performers paid by the
audience. It is the custom for those who desire on
any particular occasion to " give a pooay " to en-
gage one of the various troupes of players, for whom
a pavilion is extemporised opposite the house, while
the public form regular rows around, and enjoy the
gratuitous spectacle. Such an enclosure was set up
in the Residency compound. The first intimation of
the coming pooay was the early arrival of the
orchestra some hours before the performance was

THE BURMESE POOAY. 353

to commence, making their presence known by a
noisy rehearsal of the music of the play, which soon
drew together an expectant crowd. As in pooays
generally, the actors and actresses then by degrees
dropped in, each accompanied by a friend or servant
to assist in the toilettes, which were made in public ;
the men and women taking their places on opposite
sides of the orchestra. The actors arrayed them-
selves in robes stiff with tinsel, over which they
placed an apron of curious work and cumbrous form,
and crowned their heads with a species of tiara
shaped like a pagoda. Each actress brought with
her a small box containiug cosmetics, flowers for
adorning her hair, and a little mirror. Seating her-
self on a mat, she substituted for her ordinary jacket
a bespangled gauze coat over her richly woven
silken tamein, or skirt, which was tucked so tightly
round her limbs that it gave her a shuffling gait.
The decorating of her hair with sweet-smelling
flowers, the powdering of her face, and the painting
of her eyebrows, constituted however the chef-cT oeuvre
of her toilette, requiring constant appeals to the
mirror to ensure its success. She then as a finishing
stroke threw around her neck numerous strings of
imitation pearl beads, which reached down to nearly
the knee, and in each lobe of her ears inserted a
solid cylinder either of gold, jade, or amber, called a
nodoung. She then smoked a cheroot while uncon-
cernedly awaiting her call. This occupation, indeed,
was never pretermitted during the performance,

2 A

354 , SECOND EXPEDITION.

except while the actoi''s lips were occupied in de-
clamation or song. The royal -prima donna, whose
professional reputation is very high, and who sang
sweetly, would at the end of a passionate outburst
coolly relight her cheroot at the blazing faggot by
the tree, and smoke it till her next speech or song.
Besides the dramatic performers, the royal tumblers
and jugglers appeared every afternoon, and executed
surprising feats, which were witnessed by an en-
thusiastic crowd. The agility of the tumblers was
remarkable. One man would, as it were, fly rather
than spring over a row of nine boys arranged as if
for leap-frog. He also leapt through a square formed
by keen-edged knives held by two men, and disposed
with the edges at right angles to his progress, and
giving barely space for the passage of his body. One
remarkable exhibition was that of a girl of sixteen,
who possessed most singular elasticity of body. She
laid herself on the ground, and, without apparent
effort or distress, bent her body backwards till her
toes rested on her head, as shown in the illustration
taken from a photograph. She also possessed the
power of moving the muscles of one side of her face
and body, while those of the other side remained in a
perfect state of repose. The feats of the jugglers
were even more puzzling than those of the Indian
performers, and seemed to be very popular with the
crowd.

The day after our arrival, the foreign minister,
or kengwoon meng-gyee, paid us a visit, and invited

RECEPTION BY THE MENG-GYEES. 355

US to a breakfast, which, was served with great pro-
fusion, and was almost English in its style. At a
separate table tea was prepared of two sorts ; one the
ordinary infusion of tea leaves, the other from hard
black cakes stamped with Chinese letters, and exactly
resembling tablets of Indian ink. These are prepared
by the Shans from the Chinese leaf tea, and produce a
liquor as pale as sherry, but of excellent flavour.
The visit and breakfast of the foreign minister was
followed in due succession by similar civilities on
the part of the other meng-gyees ; and a day was
appointed for our presentation to the king, an honour
which had been vouchsafed to the mission of 1868
neither on its outward nor homeward journey. Ac-
companied by the British Resident, Captain Strover,
we proceeded on royal elephants, sent for our use, to
the palace enclosure, where we found the meng-gyees
seated on carpets in a small hlot, or open hall, outside
the palace gate. Having doffed our shoes, we seated
ourselves on the carpets with feet carefully hidden,
according to court etiquette, and conversed with the
ministers, while attendants served tea, fruits, and cakes.
At last we were informed that the king was ready to
receive us; so, having resumed our boots, we proceeded
through a small postern in the inner palace stockade
into the large open space, on the far side of which
rose the lofty temple-like structure Avith its nine
roofs, topped by the golden htee which marks the
centre of the capital and state of Burma. Boots
were again removed, and we ascended the short

2 A 2

356 SECOND EXPEDITION.

flight of steps into a spacious open hall with rows
of gilded pillars, and filled with a numerous giiard,
all prostrated on their knees before the august
presence of the meng-gyees who escorted us. Two
more halls were successively passed through, and
then through a side passage the audience hall was
reached. This was a large apartment painted white^
with a gilded railing cutting off two-thirds of its area.
In the wall opposite to the railing were a pair of
gilded folding-doors, and on the right and left a row
of pillars. From amidst the ranks of the body-
guard, all dressed in spotless white, and squatted
on the ground, we entered within the railing, and
imitated in our own way the uncomfortable position
prescribed by etiquette, carefully turning our feet to
the rear. Behind either side of us, were the
ministers of state duly crouching. Before the
folding-doors, and a few yards removed from us, was
spread a gorgeous velvet carpet of red and gold
pattern, on which stood a golden couch richly
bejewelled. A square pillow, an opera-glass, and
two golden boxes were laid ready for the absent
occupant, and by the head of the couch stood a
betel box in the form of a golden henza, or sacred
goose, inlaid with jewels.

Presently the folding-doors were thrown open,
disclosing a long vista of golden portals, through
which we saw his Majesty of Burma advancing,
accompanied by a little boy five or six years old.
The Burmese ministers, courtiers, and body-guard

AUDIENCE BY THE KING. 357

instantly bowed their faces to the ground, and
remained prone with hands held up in the attitude
of supplication. The Europeans bowed after their
fashion, and the king, a man of about sixty years,
with a refined, intellectual face, quick eye, and
pleasing but dignified manners, reclined on the
couch and saluted us graciously. He then entered
into a complimentary conversation, looking at us
through his opera-glass, though not twenty yards
distant. He expressed himself in the most friendly
manner, and offered one of his steamers to convey
the party to Bhamo, which was politely declined on
the ground of all arrangements having been already
made. All his questions were duly repeated by one
of the oflScials crouching at our side, who rendered
into courtly phraseology the somewhat laconic replies
of Colonel Browne. After the interview had lasted
about fifteen minutes, the king suddenly closed the
conversation, the folding-doors flew open, and he dis-
appeared. The Burmese raised their heads, the
Englishmen stretched their legs, fruits and cakes
were served on silver salvers and cold water in
golden cups, while the meng-gyees themselves helped
us and pressed us to eat.

Thence we were conducted to view the so-called
white elephant in his small but richly adorned
dwelling, which, with the concomitants of golden
umbrellas and attendants, he does not deserve by his
rarity, as he is not whiter, except about the head, than
many elephants I have seen in India.

358 SECOND EXPEDITION.

For the rest of the palace and the surrounding city,
the short description already given will still serve.
The suburbs manifested a decided increase in the
number of buildings and population, and the inha-
bitants seemed more busy and prosperous than ever,
as a proof of which we remarked a new bazaar, built
two years ago, twelve hundred feet long and five
hundred broad. The beauty of the environs, as
viewed from the angle towers of the city wall, seemed
as striking as when first beheld, and was enhanced
by the lake-like waters of the broad moat which now
surrounds the walls of the city. Besides this addi-
tional defence, the king is engaged in the construc-
tion of a fort on the left bank of the river between
Ava and Amarapoora. When approaching the capi-
tal, we had noticed the works, distant at this season
more than a mile from the channel, though in the
rainy season the river must reach almost to the walls.
Immediately opposite, on the right bank, rise the
chimneys of an iron foundry erected to work the iron
obtained from the neighbouring Tsagain hills. Like
other Burmese works, both are still unfinished, and
are likely never to reach completion.

The steamer Mandalay arrived on January 2nd^
bringing the numerous and cumbrous boxes of pre-
sents, the Australian and Arab horses, and the
kangaroo dogs, all under the charge of the Sikh
guard and Mr. Fforde, superintendent of police, who
was to bring the guard back from the frontiers of
China. A list of the fire-arms on board had been

DEPARTUEE OP MISSION. 359

forwarded to the royal officials, and the Burmese
customs officers had examined those brought at the
frontier station of Menhla to see that they tallied
with the list. On the following day we embarked,
accompanied by Captain Strover and his medical
attendant, Dr. Cullimore, who, with a tsare-daw-gyee
deputed by the king to look after our wants, were to
accompany us as far as Bhamo.

The cordial reception experienced at the capital,
and the readiness shown by all the officials to " com-
fort and assist" the mission, seemed to prove from
the first that the king of Burma was sincere in his
promise to secure us a safe passage through his
dominions. Sinister rumours of his real dislike to
the mission were, it may be said, of course, not want-
ing, some of which reached our ears in the capital
itself, and others at a later period. However, we felt
more inclined to regard actions than mere words,
and there has been no reason subsequently to doubt
the king of Burma respecting the promises he had
made. A royal steamer, laden with cai'go and.
passengers, left the capital for Bhamo before we got
our steamer and its flat under weigh. The latter was
a large barge, somewhat resembliug a Thames shallop,
the hull loaded with three hundred tons of salt, and
the main deck, over which the upper deck, or rather
story, was raised on iron uprights, crowded with
steerage passengers. Our party occupied the cabins
in the fore part of the flat, the forecastle of which
served us as an open-air saloon. The navigation of

360 SECOND EXPEDITION.

the Irawady in the dry season is somewhat uncertain,
and the voyage proved unusually long. We had
scarcely proceeded a few miles when it was dis-
covered that the stores for the guard had heen
unloaded at Mandalay, and it was necessary for the
steamer to cast off the flat, and return for the missing
provender. The next morning, soon after starting,
some native boats, laden with firewood, coming
down the river, were swept by an eddy under the
paddle-wheels. The steamer had been stopped, but
the crews, being short-handed, were unable to pull
their boats clear; they managed, however, to save
their lives, but boats and cargo were totally lost.
The next incident was the grounding of our too
deeply laden flat on a sandbank, where we were
obliged to remain for four days, until the steamer
returned to Mandalay for a second flat, into which
part of the cargo was transhipped. Thus by the end
of the first week, we had only made twenty-five
miles out of the two hundred and fifty to Bhamo.
From this point, no further delays were experienced,
save those due to the usual morning fogs ; and our
upward voyage was, in all other respects, agreeable.
We were received with every demonstration -of
respect by the officials of all the towns en route.
On approaching the places of most importance, we
were met by war-boats sent to escort us for a mile
or more to the landing, where the local militia was
arrayed as a guard of honour. Reception halls had
been erected, and the young women were assembled

PEOGEBSS UP THE lEAWADY. 361

singing and dancing, or rather posturing, as the per-
formers do not stir from one spot, but sway the body
and arms in measured and not ungraceful move-
ments. Sometimes^ when unable to stop, we saw
the dance proceeding on the river-bank. At Mya-
doung, the " army " drawn up in our honour con-
sisted of three hundred men, ranged along the
bank, who executed a serpentine mancBuvre, as they
marched to receive us at the landing-place, appa-
rently to make their array seem more imposing ;
they wore no uniforms, and, besides dahs and spears,
carried very old and well-worn flint muskets. At
this place a handsome shed had been erected, where
no less than sixty-four fair performers were assembled,
and in the evening we patronised, by request, the
performance of a regular pooay. All these enter-
tainments had been commissioned by royal order,
which the local officials obeyed to the best of their
ability. Thus the Shuaygoo Woon came on board, and
most earnestly invited us to halt for an hour, and
honour his pooay by our presence, a request which,
if we had known his real sentiments towards English
visitors, would scarcely have been complied with.
Above the second defile, we met the steamer which
had preceded us coming down on her return trip,
with a large flat laden with cargo and passengers.

We did not complete our journey till January 15th,
having spent twelve days on the voyage, the last
twelve miles of which, owing to the difficulty of
the channel, took ten hours to accomplish. As the

362 SECOND EXPEDITION.

steamer neared the high river-bank, the southern
end of Bhamo, twelve large war-boats, each manned
by thirty men, and one of which contained Captain
Cooke, the British Resident, the Woon, and the other
Burmese officials, paddled out to meet us, with much
beating of gongs, and, passing in order, turned and
followed in a long procession. The high bank was
crowded with the townspeople, Shan-Burmese and
Chinese, with an intermixture of Chinese Shans and
Kakhyens. As soon as the steamer and flats were
moored, the Resident and the Woon, with his tsitkays,
came on board, and welcomed us to Bhamo. The
Burmese had prepared a house in the town for our
accommodation, but the Resident pressed us to take
up our quarters in the Residency, whither we accord-
ing proceeded. This is a fine building of teak, which
has been erected at a cost of £1100, though a similar
one at Rangoon would have cost at least £2000.
It occupies a commanding position on the site of an
old Chinese fort near the river bank, about a mile
north of the town. This old fort, at my first visit,
was completely hidden in jungle ; the moat is still
wonderfully perfect, and encloses a large area, of
which the residency compound, about two acres in
extent, forms but a small portion. This is surrounded
by a fence or wooden framework, covered with mats.
Outside the gate a zayat has been erected, which at
this period was occupied by about fifty Kakhyens of
the Mattin clan, whose chief had been summoned to
Bhamo in reference to the possible claims of the

BEITISH RESIDENCY AT BHAMO. 363

central or embassy route. Living witliin the com-
pound were a number of Shan families from the
Sanda valley, who were waiting for the arrival of
the Mandalay to carry them down the river, on
a pilgrimage to the shrines of Rangoon. It was
impossible to avoid regretting that the Residency has
been built so far from the town, and in a situation
so exposed to any sudden attack from Kakhyen or
any other marauders. The jungle grows to the very
edge of the moat, affording complete cover for
assailants, while the interstices of the fence afford
abundant opportunities for intruding guns or spears.
One would think that the selection of a site within
the town, and near the Woon's house, would have
seemed to argue more confidence in the Burmese
authorities, with whom the Resident should be in
constant and friendly intercourse, in order to efiec-
tually look after the interests confided to him, with-
out setting up an imperium in imperio over the
Kakhyens of the hills. Recent events have shown the
insecurity of the present position, which, in the case
of any serious attack, could not be defended by the
sepoys of the Residency guard, who, at the time of our
visit, could only muster eight effective men.

At the Residency we were welcomed by Mrs. Cooke,
who shares with her husband the risks and banish-
ment of life in this far-off place, giving a striking
proof of the pluck and devotion to their lords which
characterises our countrywomen. Here, too, we made
the acquaintance with our future travelling com-

364 SECOND EXPEDITION.

panion, Mr. Nej Elias, and received the information
that Mr. Margary had arrived safely at Manwyne,
and might be daily expected to make his appearance
at Bham6.

The day after our arrival, we decided that Colonel
Browne, Mr. Fforde, and myself, should reside in the
town of BhamS, for the greater convenience of com-
munication with the Burmese, and, as far as I was
concerned, with my staff of collectors. The Woon
at once placed at my disposal a small bamboo struc-
ture, built on the site of the house tenanted by us
in 1868. Opposite to it was the house, newly built,
in readiness for the present mission, in which Colonel
Browne and Mr. Fforde took up their quarters. The
Woon was evidently much gratified by this proceed-
ing on the part of the officers of the mission, as show-
ing a friendly appreciation of his good offices. A
temporary pavilion was speedily erected over the
street between the two houses, and on our return
from the Residency in the evening, a pooay was in
full play before an admiring audience. As soon as
we had taken our seats in the front of the verandah,
trays of sweetmeats were set before us, and we sat
and viewed the performance till nearly midnight, as
the jovial laughter of the Burmese at the very broad
jokes of the artists was not conducive to sleep.

On the 17th, we were agreeably surprised by the
arrival of Mr. Margary, looking none the worse for
his long overland journey from Hankow, which he
had left on the 4th of last September. But for a

AEEIVAL OF MAEGAEY. 365

delay at Loshan of six days, while waiting for new
instructions, he would have accomplished this tre-
mendous journey in just four months. Starting from
Hankow, and passing the Tung-ting lake, on the
Yang-tse, he had ascended the Yuen river through
Hoonan, and travelled by land through Kweichow
and Yunnan.

The only real difficulty he experienced was at a
town called Ohen-yuen, in Kweichow, where the boat
journey ended on October 27th. / Here the populace
endeavoured to prevent the removal of his luggage
from the boat, and it was only by means of an appeal
to the mandarin, who at first was uncivil but speedily
yielded to the power of the passports] and the inter-
ference of an armed guard sent by that official, that
he was enabled to proceed. It was necessary for him
to sleep at the Yamen, and leave the town in the early
morning. When the mob learned his departure, they
wreaked their vengeance on the boatmen, and de-
stroyed their boat. On his land journey the people
were everywhere civil, though intensely curious, and
the mandarins polite. He described the scenery in
Kweichow as splendid, but the roads rough and
ragged, carried almost always at a high level along
pine-clad hills overlooking valleys far beneath. The
province appeared to have been sadly devastated — the
cities reduced to mere villages, and the villages to
collections of straw huts ; everj'^where ruins of good,
substantial stone houses abounded to show the
former prosperity of the region before the Miaou-tse

l'<.

366 SECOND EXPEDITION.

came down from the hills and butchered the whole
population. Although twenty years have elapsed
since this incursion, the cities still remain like cities
of the dead — their extensive walls surrounding acres
of ruins, with a few of the wild hillmen dwelling in
them.

His reception by the governor of the province
at Kwei-yang-fu was very cordial; and the latter
promised to compensate the boatmen for their loss
in the destruction of their boat by the Chen-yuen
mob. From this city twenty days of steady travel-
ling in a chair, twenty miles a day, over fine moun-
tains and through valleys almost deserted, brought
him to Yunnan-fu on November 27th. He met with
civility everywhere ; but the acting governor-general
of Yunnan, who was then locum tenens of the absent
viceroy, proved himself a most friendly and indeed
an unexpected ally. Not content with loading the
Englishman with honours and courtesies, he sent
two mandarins to escort him the rest of the way,
and despatched an avant-courrier bearing a mandate
to all the local authorities, which secured marked
respect for the traveller, and also sent a quick courier
with orders to the mandarins on the frontier to take
care of the expedition in case he should not have met
us before our entrance into China. |^rom Yunnan to
Tali a dreadfully rough road or track of deep ruts
and jagged stones led over high mountains and into
deep valleys J The ascents were so steep as to require
a team of eight or ten coolies harnessed with ropes to

ACCOmSTT OF HIS JOURNEY. 367

drag tlie chair up the dangerous incline, often skirt-
ing the edge of a precipice ; and in the narrow and
dangerous path strings of mules and ponies laden
with salt were often met with, to the great risk of the
traveller.

The state of the country is best described in his
own words : — " It is melancholy to see these fine
valleys given up to rank grass, and the ruined
villages and plainly distinguishable fields lying in
silent attestation of former prosperity. Every day I
come to what was a busy city, but now only con-
taining a few new houses inside walls which sur-
round a wide space of ruins. But the people are
returning gradually, and the blue smoke can be seen
curling up here and there against the background of
pine-clad hills. It must take some few years to re-
people the country, rich as it is."

The last four days' travelling before reaching the
plain of Tali passed through a mountainous district
devoid of cities. The authorities of Tali were at first
averse to his entering the city, pleading their fear of
the turbulent and dangerous populace, against whom
he had been already warned by the viceroy ; but by an
adroit appeal to the laws of etiquette, which constrained
him to pay his respects to the high authorities, he got
over the difficulty. The much dreaded city populace
treated him not only with courtesy but with pro-
found respect, calling him Ta-jen, or Excellency. The
several officials received him well, and the Tartar
general, an enormously large man, who had been

368 SECOND EXPEDITION.

foremost in the storming of the city, placed him in
the seat of honour by himself, asked innumerable
questions about England and Burma, and promised
to invite the mission to stay a few days at Tali-fu.

Yung-chang was reached on December 27th, after
passing through "glorious scenery," by a road leading
over high mountain regions, but with nothing so bad
as "the horrid passes" previously encountered. A
daring robbery had been just committed on the high-
way, and a halt was necessitated for the soldiers to
scour the hills for fear of lurking dacoits. The people
were gradually returning to the villages, and burning
the jungle grass, which had overgrown the long
abandoned fields. The mandarins at Yung-chang
were inclined to be obstructive ; but those at Teng-
yue-chow, or Momien, which was reached in four.
days from the former city, were " delightfully civil."
Here he received the despatches informing him of
the plans of the mission, and in accordance with them
he set out for Manwyne, arriving there after a journey
of five stages through the Shan country, which he
described as a lovely valley, and the people as sociable
and amiable. At Manwyne he found the Burmese
guard of forty men, who had been sent forward from
Tsitkaw to escort him through the Kakhyen hills.
Here also he met with the redoubtable Li-sieh-tai,
" now a Chinese general," who was negotiating a tariff
of imposts on trade with the Kakhyen chiefs and Shan
headmen. Li received his first English visitor with
the greatest honour, kotouing to him before all the

ACCOUNT OF HIS JOUENEY. 369

assembled chiefs and notables. The Burmese officers
requested a delay to recruit their men, after the march
over the hills, and Margary, who was anxious to press
on, endeavoured vainly to induce Li to give him a
giaard, under whose protection he could advance,
leaving his followers and baggage to follow with the
Burmese. [JHe recorded his opinion that there were
intrigues going on in this district adverse to the
advance of the missionTi^ but notwithstanding he
relied strongly on the express commands of the all-
powerful governor of Yunnan in its favour.

His stay at Manwyne was marked by the most
friendly intercourse with the tsawbwa and his
family, whose guest he was. He walked through
the town and shot over the banks of the river freely
and unmolested ; and^ as he writes, " I come and
go without meeting the slightest rudeness among
this charming people, and they address me with
the greatest respect."

Under the escort of the Burmese guard he crossed
the Kakhyen hills, bivouacking one night in a
clearing, as we had done on the former journey, at
Lakhon. He passed through eight or nine villages
of the Kakhyens, the savage appearance of these
hill-people striking him forcibly after the civilised
aspect of the Shans of the valleys, and they treated
him to a specimen of their bold impudence. His
servant Lin was menaced by one of these with a
large stone, which he raised to strike him with, and
another drew his dah and made a daring attempt

2 B

370 SECOND EXPEDITION.

to rob one of the men of his bag. After remaining
a night at Tsitkaw, he and his party descended the
Tapeng by boat, and reached the Residency early
in the forenoon. It can easily be imagined with
what feelings we congratulated the first Englishman
who had succeeded in traversing " the trade route of
the future," as he called it, and with what pleasant
anticipations we heard of the accounts of his arduous
but successful journey, and the reception accorded all
along the line of route, crowned by the politeness
shown by the dreaded Lbjieh-tai.J The astonishment
and admiration of the Burmese was even greater. In
their own minds they had never realised the existence
of English officials in China, and now there appeared
a veritable Englishman speaking Chinese fluently,
and versed in the use of chop-sticks and all other
points of etiquette. This Fetching meng, or Pekin
mandarin, moreover, was attended, besides the rest of
his retinue, by a most imposing literate, whose huge
round spectacles gave him an aspect of wonderful
wisdom, and commanded the greatest respect from
his countrymen at Bhamo.

This worthy man, wliose real name was Yu-tu-
chieu, and whose office was that of writer or Chinese
secretary, was a Christian from the province of
Hoopeh, one of the many sincere converts made by
the Lazarist missionaries. His intelligence and
anxiety for knowledge, with his amiable and faithful
disposition, made him justly a favourite with all.
From the Woon downwards, every inhabitant who

THE WOON OF BHAMO. 371

could speak Chinese was anxious to interview and
pay respects to the new-comers from Pekin, and
devoutly believed that the writer was a lesser man-
darin sent in attendance on the great man, and it
must be confessed that Yu-tu evidently increased in
self-respect as he realised the estimation in which he
was held by the Chinese-speaking people, including
the tsawbwa of Mattin and his followers.

The Woon, or governor of the town or district of
Bhamo, was most zealous in carrying out the royal
orders, and was personally most friendly. He was
a short, elderly Burman, with prominent eyes and
good face, whose chief occupation seemed to be in-
cessantly muttering prayers, as he slid through his
fingers the beads of the^ black amber rosary which
he invariably carried. L,His principal wife and his
children bad been left in Mandalay as hostages for
his good behaviour, according to the usual Burmese,
policy ; but his establishment was presided over by
a second or inferior wife, a stout elderly lady, whose
acquaintance I was privileged to make./ This was
on the occasion of an entertainment given by him in
honour of Margary, the day but one after his arrival.
We sat with him on carpets in his verandah, while
about forty of the prettiest and best dressed women
of Bham6, ranged in lines, postured and sang in the
covered courtyard below. The various officials
formed a background, and the crowd surrounded the
performers. The infusion of Shan blood is evident
in the superior good looks and physique of these

2 B 2

372 SECOND EXPEDITION.

daughters of the land. All were well dressed and
adorned with silver and some with gold bracelets
and other jewellery ; the older and very much uglier
women stood behind the last row of performers, and
led the singing. We squatted Burmese fashion, and
smoked, while tea and Huntley and Palmer's biscuits
were served with nuts and persimmons dried in sugar,
followed by the customary betel and pan. For-
tunately, etiquette did not oblige us to continue too
long in the uncomfortable posture, which Burmese
adopt by habit, and we could come and go as we
liked during the two hours that the performance
lasted, (^In the evening we visited the Chinese
temple, in which a ceremony or function was pro-
ceeding on behalf of a Chinese townsman who had
recently become insane. | One part of the ceremonial
consisted of a theatrical performance or puppet-show,
viewed through a transparency, the actors being
represented by small figures cut out of leather, with
talc heads ; they were moved by bamboos^ one fixed
at the back and another to one of the arms. The
figures were placed close behind the transparent
window, and a Chinaman in charge of each shouted
the words of the part, while he manipulated the
figure with great skill. We were permitted to go
behind the scenes, and by a narrow wooden staircase
ascended to a lobby leading into a large room, which
was full of Chinese, smoking and drinking tea.
Hundreds of the leather puppets were suspended
round the room from lines, as if they had been clothes

SELECTION OE EOUTB. 373

hung up to dry. This was at once the stage, green-
room, and orchestra. The musicians were seated
along the walls on benches ; the instruments were a
flageolet and a small violin, formed of a segment of
bamboo, with a snake-skin over the opening, and two
strings stretched to the end of the bamboo handle.
One man thumped two stones on a desk by way of
drum ; another played the cymbals, and others small
gongs. Behind the transparent windows, at one
end, stood a row of Chinese moving the puppets and
shouting the dialogue. All were amateurs engaged
in a work of charity, though how the patient was to
be benefitted did not appear.

During this exchange of civilities, the prepara-
tions for as early an advance as was possible were
not pretermitted. With regard to the route to be
traversed by the expedition, the Woon had fully
expected that the embassy or central road would
be selected, and the Mattin tsawbwa, through
whose territory it passes, had come to Bham6 to
make arrangements for our transit. The Burmese
preferred this route, as they had more influence over
those Kakhyens, and declared that they could
guarantee our safe passage more certainly by this
route than any other. The line to be followed would
correspond with that travelled over on our return
journey in 1868. / A Burmese embassy, carrying
tribute to China, had recently gone by this road,
but was reported to have been detained in the hills
for more than a month, the mountaineers having

374 SECOND EXPEDITION.

barricaded the road, in order to effectually extort
black mail. This embassy, or some of their members,
had been heard of by Margary, as he was passing near
Momien. The fact that the tribute-bearing Burmese
embassies were accustomed to travel by this route
did not recommend it as advisable for the passage
of our expedition, and the Political Resident, with
Mr. Elias, acting under orders, had, before our arrival,
made arrangements for us to proceed by the Sawady
route. From thence the road leads to Mansay, ten
miles distant, a Shan village under Burmese and
Kakhyen protection, which is the regular rendez-
vous for all Kakhyens coming down to Sawady or
Kaung-toung to barter their goods for salt and ngape.
From Mansay, four marches through the country of
the Lenna Kakhyens conduct to Kwotloon, in the
Shan state of Muangmow, on the right bank of the
Shuaylee. Thence the proposed route goes by way of
Sehfan, a Chinese Shan state, dependent on the gover-
nor of the walled town of Muanglong, up the valley
of the Shuaylee, and crosses the watershed to Momien.
Such information as was possessed had been obtained
by Moung Mo, the Kakhyen interpreter, who had
been despatched by the Resident, in 1873, to Muang-
wan, and thence to Sehfan, He described the country
between this and Muangmow as a cultivated plain,
studded with villages, and the Shuaylee as a deep
river a hundred yards wide. Sehfan is a small town
of three hundred houses, surrounded by numerous
large villages. Its chief had been brought up by

<

W
EH

W

EH

I"

BULLOCK OAEEIAGE. 375

the Chinese governor of Muanglong, and was a firm
friend of the Chinese ; he had recently married the
eldest daughter of my old friend, the Hotha chief,
with whom we had spent such pleasant days in 1868.

In 1873, great disturbances were caused by the
aggressions of a Shan rebel from Namkhan, a Bur-
mese Shan state on the left bank of the Shuaylee ;
and the Maran Kakhyens, who were at feud with the
next clan of the Atsees, frequently attacked caravans
and looted Sehfan villages. Beyond Sehfan lay the
populous Chinese Shan states of Muangkwan, with
two large towns of one thousand houses, and Muang-
kah on the Salween. The Chinese towns of Muang-
long and Muanglem were both described as con-
taining four thousand to five thousand houses, which
is probably an exaggeration.

Agreements had been entered into with the Pa-
loungto Kakhyen chief, who had undertaken to pro-
vide two hundred bullocks for carriage, mules not
being procurable, and to escort the mission safely into
the Muangmow district. The necessity of employing
pack bullocks extended the time likely to be )equired
for the journey to Momien to thirty or forty days ;
as, however, it was a principal object to explore this
partially known route, which was universally ad-
mitted to present the fewest physical difficulties, the
time so expended and the slow rate of travelling
appeared likely to afford the scientific members of the
mission more ample time for inquiry and observations.
In this view of the case, the leader did not wholly

376 SECOND EXPEDITION.

concur, and though deciding to proceed to Miiang-
mow, he contemplated striking off thence via Muang-
wan and Nantin.

It turned out to have been overlooked in the pre-
liminary arrangements that Sawady is not in the
Bham6 district, but under the jurisdiction of the
Woon of Shuaygoo, to whom no orders had been sent
from Mandalay. The Woon of Bham6 was rather
nonplussed by our decision to adopt the Sawady route,
but sent to request his colleague of Shuaygoo to come
and advise on the subject. (This, however, the official,
who, as it afterwards appeared, is utterly hostile to
Englishmen, altogether refused to do ; but the Bhamo
Woon decided to send his own troops under the com-
mand of a tsitkay, a veteran officer, to escort us as far
as Mansay ; but he evidently considered the Kakhyens
beyond that point as refractory, though nominally
in the Burmese territory. Tlie Kakhyen pawmines
declared their willingness to be answerable for our
safety from Mansay if the Burmese would convoy
us thus far, and then reviewed our two hundred
packages, at the size of which they shook their heads.
The boxes had all been carefully calculated to hold
seventy-five pounds each, half a load for a mule,
which carries fifty viss, equal to one hundred and
fifty pounds, and had been constructed for package
on the cross-trees used in mule carriage. Bullocks,
however, cannot carry so much, and the goods are
loaded on them in bamboo baskets, which, lined with
the bamboo spathes, are almost watertight. It became

CHINESE SUEMISES. 377

necessary, therefore, to rearrange the cumbrous
baggage, which was a work of some days.

Profiting by the experience of the former expedi-
tion, Colonel Browne resolved not to be encumbered
with a cash-chest. All the coined money was ex-
changed for sycee, or lump, silver, at the rate of one
hundred rupees for seventy tickals of the finest
quality, or seventy-three tickals and a half of the
more alloyed which passes among the Kakhyens^
and these ingots were distributed among the private
boxes of the party.

Our inquiries about the several routes brought
out the fact that the Chinese fully believed us to be
intent on making a railway, one man remarking
that the Sawady route was much the longest, but,
" of course, the best for the railway."

It is hard to follow' the workings of the Chinese
mind, but it was plain that the objects of our ex-
pedition were as far from being perfectly understood
by them as ever, and that they watched the move-
ments of the mission with a secret feeling that the
objects contemplated were somewhat beyond th&
peaceful pursuit of the interests of commerce and
scientific inquiry.

During the delay consequent on the alteration
of the packages, our friend the Woon got up
pooays, or dances, for our amusement, and for three
hours at a time relays of women from the different
quarters of the town danced and sang.

Slian letters were sent to the tsawbwa of Muang-

378 SECOND EXPEDITION.

mow, and Margary despatched Chinese letters to the
governor of Momien and to Li-sieh-tai, who had
sent Kakhyen messengers to Tsitkaw to carry them
forward. It subsequently appeared that the letter
had not reached Li, as he had left Nantin before
the arrival of the messenger, and proceeded to
Muangmow to await our coming.

The 21st was a day of heavy rain, which seriously
interfered with packing arrangements ; and as it
was full moon, all amusement was interdicted by the
observance of the Burmese worship-day, which was
ushered in by the tolling of the Woon's gong at
seven, and at eight o'clock we found him presiding
over a congregation which assembled in his house,
the prayers being led by several priests. Our tai
was quite free from the motley group of Burmese,
Shan, and Kakhyen visitors who had daily thronged
it. This strict observance of what may be called the
sabbath was due to a recent revival of piety, stimulated
by royai orders on the subject.

THE HUN POOAY. 379

CHAPTER XIV.

SAWADY,

The hun pooay — Mission proceeds to Sawady — Visit from Woon —
Eumoured opposition — Tlie Woon as a musician — Sawady village
— Eoyal orders — Baggage difficulties — Arrival of Mr. Clement
Allan — Paloungto chief — Kakhyen pilfering — Abandon route —
Adopt PonUne route — Reasons for change — Tsaleng Woon —
Departure of mission to Tsitkaw — EMas and Cooke proceed to
Muangmow — Dolphins — Up the Tapeng — Tahmeylon — Arrive at
Tsitkaw.

On the following day the greater part of the
baggage was stowed in boats ready for departure
to Sawady, which was fixed for the 23fd. The
Woon made his appearance at an early hour, bent
on inviting Margary and his writer, and all of us,
to spend this the last day with him. In the fore-
noon the usual ying pooay, or dance, went on,
but in the evening a hun pooay, or pooay acted by
marionettes, was given. This was a much more
artistic affair than that of the Chinese puppets, the
marionettes being well made, regularly dressed figures
about three feet high. The stage on which they are
presented is remx)ved to a distance, the proscenium

380 SAWADY.

forming, as it were, a-frame proportioned to the size
of the figures ; and the movers of the puppets stand
behind a screen at tlie back, and manipulate the little
heroes and heroines by means of strings. To the
spectators they have a most real appearance, being
very cleverly handled, and the speeches are made by
the invisible actors with such art as to really seem
as if proceeding from the puppets, so as to suggest
A'entriloquism. This performance was evidently the
most popular form of entertainment. The Woon
sat eyeing the puppets intently through his bin-
ocular, just as his royal master had eyed us at the
audience, and the to^mspeople, squatted in rows,
remained till midnight eagerly watching the man-
nikins. The Woon produced an alarum clock which
had been rendered incapable of going, and amused
himself tinkling the alarum ; but he was quite
ignorant of the value of the hours, and even after
several lessons illustrated by a watch, he utterly
failed to fix the hands.

On the next day, most of our party rode to Sawady,
to which place the guard and all the baggage had
preceded them. Mr. Elias and I, however, remained
behind until we should receive the mot d'ordre from
Browne, as the operation of packing the bullocks
was likely to occupy some days. The Woon, whom
I had not seen that day, came in the afternoon to
apologise for his apparent neglect, as he had been
engaged in receiving public subscriptions for the
regilding of the Shuaykeenah pagoda. He was

EUMOUEED OPPOSITION. 381

delighted at my offering a small contribution, and
waxed eloquent on the entente cordiale engendered
by such conduct, and sent for his wife to bring
a large silver vase containing the collection, to
which my donation was duly added. We had a
long talk on the archaeology of the district, the old
cities of Tsampenago and Kuttha, and the founder
of the Shuaykeenah pagoda, whom he asserted to
have been a king of Ceylon, named Thee-yee-da-ma-
thanka, a legend commonly current regarding the
more ancient pagodas of Burma. In the evening
he sent the tsare-daw-gyee and the two tsitkays
to pay a visit, from whom I learned that there
existed ancient histories of the district in some
of the khyoungs, one of which they promised, if
possible, to obtain. When they were shown a photo-
graph of the Soolay pagoda at Rangoon, they
expressed their regret that during the municipal
improvements of the town the site of the sacred
building had become the junction of cross-roads,
which seemed in their minds a desecration. They
were, however, relieved by the assurance that this
must have been done by the British authorities in
ignorance of the religious prejudices thereby affected.
Two or three days passed without any incident of
consequence, save that on the 25th a Chinaman came
to the Residency to report that he had overheard some
Yunnan Chinese talking in the bazaar, and had
gathered that an armed force had been despatched
from Momien and Tali-fu to Muangmow, under the

382 SAWADY.

command of Li-sieh-tai, to oppose our entrance into
China. His account, however, was very confused,
and he had not succeeded in hearing any very dis-
tinct statements, as the men had evidently been sus-
picious of him. It is probable that this was merely
a garbled version of the fact that Li-sieh-tai had
crossed from the Tapeng valley to Muangwan with a
few men en route to Muangmow. The same day
letters arrived from Sawady to say that the departure
of the mission was fixed for the following day, upon
which we went at once to the Woon to secure boats,
who most readily placed them at our disposal. He
afterwards paid us a visit, bringing his Burmese
harp of twelve strings, on which he showed him-
self no mean performer. He was accompanied
by a boy who played a sort of harmonicon, or
musical glasses constructed of slips of hard wood,
which vibrated with a sweet, full tone. Another
performer clashed a pair of cymbals, and clicked split
bamboos like castanets. The airs were sweet and
plaintive. After the music we had a long conversa-
tion about England, Prussia, France, and Persia,
with the general relations of which governments
he showed himself to be well acquainted. Railways
and the mode of transit to England were also dis-
cussed ; my interpreter, however, though an educated
Burmese and son of a native official, proving very
incompetent, and putting absurd statements into my
mouth. The Woon had brought a present of a fruit,
which he said was a great rarity from Yunnan. It was

THE VILLAGE. 383

the size of an apple, of a bright yellow colour, with a
delicate skin enclosing a jelly-like pulp, the coolness
of which he expressed by a pantomimic passing of
his hand from the throat to the epigastric region.
He called it tsay-thee ; but inquiries from Elias and
Margary identified it as a persimmon. Of this fruit,
quantities in a dried form are imported to Burma,
where they are a favourite sweetmeat ; but the fresh
fruit is unknown.

On the 27th we were ready to take boat to
Sawady, and I bade farewell to my friend, the Woon,
who charged me to write to him. Elias and myself
started from BhamQ about 11.30, and arrived at
Sawady in a little more than a couple of hours.

Sawady is a miserable village of about forty houses,
though formerly containing five times that number ;
but continual inroads by the Kakhyens have reduced
it to its present scanty dimensions. It is under the
protection of the Phonkan tsawbwa, who also, for a
yearly payment of salt, protects the village of
Yuathet, situated about three-quarters of a mile
to the north on the high bank of a small creek
called Theng-leng, which flows into the Irawady
between high alluvial banks. The village of
Sawady is defended by a double bamboo palisade,
and a similar palisade runs along the narrow path
dividing the two rows of houses. As a further pro-
tection, boats, corresponding to the number of houses,
are moored to the river bank, and nightly the in-
habitants retire to them for sleep, and thus secure

384 SAWADY.

themselves against the not infrequent nocturnal
attacks of the Kakhyens. Sawady and Yuathet are
both small emporiums for trade, whither the Kakhyens
resort to procure fish and salt, and the}'' bring bamboos
to be floated down the river ; they are also ports for
the trade to the interior. Around stretches a vast
plain, bounded by the distant hills, profusely covered
with forest and jungle, sometimes of underwood, some-
times of thick grass fifteen feet high, with frequent
swamps, which in the wet season are covered with
water. Before our arrival, Margary and Fforde
had made expeditions into the forest in search of
game. Peafowl abounded there, perched at in-
accessible heights, on the highest trees, and they
found the tracks of tigers and other large game, but
the solitudes were still as death, and they returned
without having started any animal. We found the
convoy of bullocks, under the charge of some hundred
Kakhyens, encamped outside the village. The Pa-
loungto tsawbwa, a respectable-looking man, clean
and well dressed, with a huge roll of gold leaf by
way of ear-ring distending the lobe of his ear, along
with his pawmines, was ready to receive the baggage.
The Burmese guard encamped in hastily improvised
tais, while the Englishmen were accommodated in a
rickety zayat screened with curtains.

On the second day (January 24th), orders came
from Mandalay that the Burmese guard should
escort the mission right up to the nominal
frontier of Burma and China or to Kwotloon,

BAGGAGE DIFFICULTIES. 385

instead of Mansay, as previously arranged and
approved by the Kakhyens, whose opinion of the
change was not given. They continued to take over
the packages, giving receipts for each, and making
panniers suitable for carriage on the bullocks, into
which the boxes were to be packed.

On the 25th, objections began to be raised to the
size of the packages, which had been previously
altered at BhamS^ and next the tsawbwa appeared
to say that he had brought three hundred and thirty-
six bullocks, although we only required two hundred.
He explained this, by stating that Elias had doubted
their ability to provide two hundred bullocks. The
chief, therefore, had brought three hundred and thirty-
six, to prove the contrary^ and expected to be paid
for the lot, although he admitted that the Resident
had contracted for one hundred and fifty bullocks
and twenty ponies. This proposal being got rid of,
the next demand was for payment of the hire in
advance, which Colonel Browne also negatived, but
promised to pay him one-half the amount, provided
all was ready for a start in two days.

The next day was accordingly spent in transferring
all the remaining baggage, with the exception of
the boxes containing the wardrobes of the officers
and the cash, which were placed under the imme-
diate care of the Sikhs.

The 27th found the preparations for starting
still backward, a state of things which was not
improved by heavy rain, against which the. Eng-

2 c

386 SAWADY.

lishmen and their followers were but slightly pro-
tected, and the baggage not at all. The chief and his
pawmines appeared to receive the promised advance
of hire, but he declined to fix a time for starting, as
he required salt wherewith to load the extra bullocks.
When met by a refusal to delay for this purpose,
he departed in a bad temper, leaving his pawmines
to continue the discussion. They finally settled to
start the day but one after, on condition of receiving
one viss of silver in advance, and one hundred and
forty rupees as demurrage expenses, being ten rupees
for each of the fourteen villages whence the bullocks
had come. This was a fair charge, as the men and
their beasts had been awaiting our arrival for some
days. Elias and I arrived while the payment
was being made in lumps of sycee silver, one of
which was declared by a pawmine to be bad, and,
being bitten, proved to be hollow and filled with
sand. Soothed by the receipt of the eompraw, the
Paloungto chief declared that we were brothers,
and he would be ready to start " the day after to-
morrow."

The evening brought a pleasant surprise to our
party by the arrival of Mr. Clement Allan, who
had come from Mandalay in ten days, in a royal
boat. While passing on the river, he heard one of
the Sikhs talking to a Chinaman on the bank, and,
hailing them, discovered our whereabouts. He was
thus saved the journey to Bhamo, and all our party
were now assembled, and notwithstanding the heavy

PALOUNGTO CHIEF. 387

rain, we spent a pleasant evening in anticipation of a
speedy departure.

While at breakfast, we were disturbed by hear-
ing a number of gun shots, and learned that the
Kakhyens had endeavoured to remove our clothes
boxes in order to add them to the general baggage.
The Sikhs on guard, having received orders not to
lose sight of them, declined to permit their removal,
whereupon the indignant Kakhyens fired their
muskets in the air. The Burmese tsitkay expressed
uneasiness as to the temper of the Kakhyens, and
seemed to fear a collision with them, as they
numbered about four hundred men armed with
muskets. There evidently existed some ill-feeling
between the Kakhyens and the Burmese, and it
unfortunately happened that all interviews with the
chief were conducted in presence of the Burmese
officials. It came out in the course of the day that
the Paloungto chief had not entered into any con-
vention with the other tsawbwas of the route. The
Eesident had been assured that a passage through
their territories was certain on payment of the ordi-
nary dues. The chief had declared that most of
them would support his arrangements, but that it
would be necessary at Mansay to agree with the
Phonkan tsawbwa, who would not come to Sawady.
The inveterate curiosity and pilfering habits of the
hillmen were exemplified by their boring holes in
several provision tins in order to ascertain the con-
tents, the holes being afterwards carefully stopped

2 c 2

388 SAWADY.

with cotton ; our sugar, salt, and bags of rice were
taken toll of, and sundry bottles of brandy had
mysteriously disappeared ; and it was subsequently
discovered that the screws had been drawn out of
the boxes. Still, when it is remembered that a
number of wild hillmen had been detained in this
place for a fortnight, with scanty provisions, allow-
ance must be made for petty thieving, without
arguing a deliberate intention of plunder. Our leader,
however, began to be seriously anxious about the
prospects of safe transit through the hills by this
route. To the difficulty arising from the known
antipathy of the Burmese to the Lenna Kakhyens,
there was now added the declaration of some Shans of
Muangmow, that the hillmen would not be permitted
to cross their borders, and this tended to make Colonel
Browne suspicious of the real intentions of the Pa-
loungto chief. The climax was reached when the old
interpreter, Moung Mo, announced in the evening that
our expected start was postponed sine die, and that the
chief, displeased at being refused the charge of our
clothes boxes, declined to accompany us, devolving
our escort on his pawmines. Upon this, Colonel
Browne resolved to return to Bhamo, and make
arrangements for proceeding by the old Ponline
route, instead of that by Sawady and the Shuaylee.
But I think it doubtful that the Paloungto chief had
any dishonest intentions. He could not have divined
the presence of the specie in the boxes, and it was
natural that he should require all the baggage to be

EETUEN TO BHAMO. 389

made over on the eve of starting, and should resent
the obvious imputation on his honesty, implied in the
refusal to surrender these boxes.

We rode to Bhamo through jungle grass fifteen feet
high, interrupted occasionally by hollows studded with
trees. The intersecting creeks were difficult to cross,
as the path, or rut, through the high sandbanks was
steep, and barely wide enough for a passage, so much
so that one of the ponies, with his rider, rolled back
into the water, which was only about three feet deep.
Having arrived at BhamS, and decided to go by the
Ponline route, if practicable for the led horses, the
Eesident started for Tsitkaw, to summon the Kakhyen
chiefs, and provide mules. The Woon, fearing that
the Paloungto chief would not surrender the baggage,
despatched a reinforcement of armed men on board of
four war-boats, mounted with gingals. We returned
to Sawady by water, bringing several large boats for
the baggage, which were left at Yuathet, by way of
precaution against alarming the Kakhyens. On the
30th the tsawbwa and his pawmiues came in from
their camp, and Browne recapitulated the delays and
broken promises of the past week as well as the
want of arrangements with the other tsawbwas of the
route. The chief replied that his refusal to start had
been caused by his anger at being refused the care of
the boxes ; that he was willing to start " the day
after to-morrow," but if we refused to go by his
route, he should expect to be paid the agreed
hire for the bullocks brought down. The reply to

390 SAWADY.

this was that, whatever the Eesident and pawmines,
who had made the original contract, agreed to as
justly due should be paid. Browne, however, offered
a douceur of a viss of silver as soon as the baggage
was restored. This was agreed to ; and the men at
once set to work to bring back the boxes, which
were transferred to the large boats^ and on January
31st the entire mission, escorted by the Burmese war-
boats, returned to Bham6, having definitely aban-
doned the route by Sawady, and elected to travel
by the northern or Ponline road.

Letters had been received from the Eesident,
written from Tsitkaw, to the effect that plenty of
mules were procurable, and that the Burmese officials
had summoned the Kakhyen chiefs. On our arrival
at Bham6, we found a force of three hundred men in
war-boats armed with gingals, collected under the
command of the Woon, who had been about to come
in person to Sawady to deliver us, if necessary, from
the hands of the Lenna Kakhyens. This was an addi-
tional proof, if any had been needed, of the care of
the Burmese for our welfare, and of the uncertainty
of their relations with the southern hill tribes.
It was with great reluctance that I for one turned
my back on the Sawady route, the full exploration
and eventual establishment of which as the future
trade route had been proposed as a special object
of our mission. It was generally understood to be,
though the longest, the one which presented fewest
physical difficulties; and of its actual employment

EEASONS FOE CHANGE. 391

we had ocular demonstration in the trading parties,
numhering many mules and bullocks, which were
continually coming and going during our stay at its
terminus.

The northern route had been thoroughly explored
six years before, and full information collected con-
cerning its physical and social conditions, while the
change in the political relations affected all routes
alike. As was afterwards ascertained, we were ex-
pected by the Chinese at Muangmow, whither, it
appears, Li-sieh-tai had gone to meet the mission,
and, as far as may be judged by his conduct, without
hostile intentions ; and besides all this, Mr. Ellas, co-
operating with the British Resident at Bhamo, had
visited the Lenna Kakhyens a month before, and
had made arrangements with them, according to
which they had brought down their beasts of
burden for the conveyance of the mission. Among
various reasons assigned for abandoning the route
were the suspicious bearing of the Paloungto chief,
and the possible, if not probable, risk of delay in the
hills. This would have been aggravated by the
chance that the provisions of the Sikhs, who were
only supplied with flour for thirty-five days, might
run short. Another danger was conceived to lie in
the want of arrangements with the Phonkan chief,
who might prove as obstructive as he of Ponsee had
done, and either stop or fleece the mission. With
regard to the behaviour of the Lenna chief of
Paloungto, it might have been expected that any

392 SAWADY.

lurking ill-will would have been aggravated by the
disappointment experienced at losing the fair profits
of a convoy, for which he had brought down carriage
and waited so long. At the time, the presence of
the large Burmese force may be thought to have
restrained him ; but the subsequent reception given
by him and his brother of Wurrabone to Mr. Elias
and Captain Cooke showed him to be thoroughly well
affected, and almost anxious to prove the absence of
any ill-feeling. It was a generally wise and proper
policy to thoroughly conciliate the good-will of the
Burmese officials, and to carry them with us in all
our proceedings. This line of conduct was carefully
and consistently adopted by our leader, but, conse-
quently, there was no opportunity afforded to the
Kakhyen chief of expressing his sentiments as to
the Burmese guard. His only intercourse with our
party was by interview held in presence of the tsit-
kay, at which he was expected to take the position
of an inferior, squatting on the ground before men
to whom he acknowledged no subordination ; and it
is to be regretted that he did not find an opportunity
for confidential communication which might probably
have led to a better understanding. It must also be
remembered that Kakhyen chiefs do not comprehend
the value of time, or share our notions as to procras-
tination, and are not above " trying it on " in order
to gain a little more silver. As regards the possible
complications with the Phonkan tsawbwa, who six
years before had announced his wish for the passage

TSALENG WOON. 393

of British commerce through his country, although
he could not or would not come into Sawady, he
might have been induced to have met and conferred
with us at Mansay, while, if supplies of flour were not
procurable at Bham6, yet, according to the experience
acquired in 1868, they were available in the Shan
valleys and at Momien.

On February 1st, we were all assembled in our old
quarters at Bham6. The Woon was rather non-
plussed at the adoption of the Ponline route, and
anxious as to the dangers of attack to which the
mission might be exposed before reaching Man-
wyne, though no whit relaxing his efforts to carry
out our wishes. Another Woon, he of Tsaleng,
arrived in the royal steamer, and seemed to fill
the post of counsellor to his colleague, who was
perplexed by the news which arrived from Cooke,
that all the tsawbwas were at Manwyne discussing
the tariff, and could not return for some days.
The same steamer brought up from Mandalay two
Kakhyen chiefs of the central route, viz. Muangkha
and Poonhya. In return for services rendered to
the recent Burmese embassy, these two chiefs had
been received with high honour, and presented with
gold umbrellas and gilded saddles. They rode
through Bham6 on ponies decorated with the gilded
equipage, while each rider wore a golden head-band
bearing his titles, preceded by a man carrying the
golden umbrella, and escorted by others beating
gongs and proclaiming his rank.

394 SAWADY.

On the 3rd, the heavy baggage and guard were
embarked in boats to proceed to Tsitkaw, accom-
panied by Fforde and myself, leaving Colonel
Browne and Margary to follow by land, while
Elias had arranged to attempt the passage by the
Sawady route, and join the rendezvous at Momien.
The flotilla started from the river bank at Bhamo,
and poled up the Irawady to the mouth of the
Tapeng, our progress against the rapid stream
being slow, and impeded by numerous projecting
snags and occasional sandbanks, where the water
was so shallow that the crew were obliged to
jump overboard and push or drag the heavily laden
boats along. Immediately outside the mouth of the
Tapeng extended a bar of sandbanks, beyond which
the great river suddenly deepened to about eighty
feet of water. In this deep reach numerous round-
headed dolphins were sporting. This being the
pairing season, the males were chasing the females.
Some were swimming with their heads half out of
water, and jerking from their mouths large quantities
of water to some distance. One or two were noticed
apparently standing erect in the water, with their
heads elevated straight above its surface, so that
nearly the whole of the pectoral fins was plainly
visible •, others, in pairs, were rolling about on their
sides. One was fired at, but simply responded by a
splutter and a dive. The boatmen, seeing our interest
in them, declared that they would come if called, and
proceeded to utter a peculiar sound of hrr, hrr, and

DOLPHINS. 395

to drum on the side of the boat with a stick. They
informed us that the dolphins do not proceed higher
up the river than a rocky headland in the first defile,
called Labein-hin, or Dolphin Point, because the
nats have established a customs station there to
collect an impost, which the dolphins are not willing to
pay. The dolphin of the Irawady ( Orcella Jiuminalis,
Andr.) is the only round-headed form as yet known
to be found in fresh water, individuals having been
rarely observed much below Prome, three hundred
miles from the sea, or nearly so. The colour of
the body is a dusky slate, and the under part of
a dirty white ; they attain a considerable size, in-
dividuals ten feet in length being not uncommon.
Besides the round head, they are distinguished from
the long-snouted dolphin of the Granges {Platanista
gangetica, Lebeck), which also inhabits fresh water ex-
clusively, by the much larger, fully proportioned eye.
The latter, as a tenant of the muddy water of the
Ganges, which must be almost impervious to vision,
has a very minute eye. In the Yang-tze and in the
great lake of the Cambodia, dolphins are also found,
and will probably prove to be closely allied to those
of the Irawady ; but as yet we have no knowledge
of their characters. In the estuaries of the Bay of
Bengal there is a small, round-headed dolphin closely
allied to this Irawady cetacean, but it never ascends to
the fresh water of the rivers. Apart from the scientific
interest of these large fluviatile mammals, they
form a striking feature in the river scenery of the

396 SAWADY.

Irawady as they roll and tumble in long lines up the
deep reaches, and seem to delight in keeping pace
with or ou tracing the steamers. They do not appear
to migrate through the whole distance of the river's
course, but to confine themselves within certain dis-
tricts. The fishermen of the river regard them with
a superstitious respect, and each village is believed to
be under the protection of a particular dolphin, which
guards the fishery. An offer of one hundred rupees
altogether failed to induce the people to catch a
specimen ; and it was only by the fortunate acquisi-
tion of a dead carcass thrown upon the bank, and
secured by Captain Bowers, that I was enabled to
make a thorough comparison of the structure of this
remarkable inhabitant of the river. It should be
added that the great black-headed gull is so regular
a companion of the dolphin that it is called by the
fishermen the labein-nuet, or dolphin-bird.

The progress of the flotilla of six laden boats
against the rapid stream of the Tapeng was neces-
sarily slow. The right bank presented a wide
stretch of level country studded with tall cotton trees
and oil trees. The highest leafless branches of the
former furnish eyries for the ring-tailed eagle
{^Haliaetus leucoryphus, Pallas), a pair of which birds
were perched on a tree close to the bank commanding
the river. One bird was added to our collection. The
left bank was clothed to the water line with an im-
penetrable forest of magnificent trees, rising from a
jungle with ratans and luxuriant musse. Numerous

UP THE TAPENG. 397

peacocks displayed their splendid plumage on the high
branches, most provokingly out of shot. Hornbills,
brown doves with violet necks abounded, and in the
jungle, barking deer, hog-deer, and sambur. The
exposed sandbanks were covered with snake-birds ;
terns, black-headed egrets, plovers, and Brahminy
ducks and wild geese also were frequent. We
moored for the night at the village of Queyloon, in
time for a short excursion to some abandoned rice
plantings, in search of wild ducks ; returning from
which we observed numerous small owls, the soft
eccentric flight of which resembled that of the goat-
sucker.

Soon after sunrise we were again en route, having
waited some time for a promised supply of buffalo
milk, this being an almost unattainable luxury in
Burma ; but the baby buffalo had anticipated our
demand, and disappointed our hopes. At the village
of.Tahmeylon, where we had made a stoppage on the
first ascent of the Tapeng in 1868, the changes of the
river channel were exemplified. At that time the
water ran deep under a high bank, but now a broad
sandbank extended in front of the village. We had
landed on the other side of a neck of land which
caused a bend in the river, intending to strike the
public path, which we missed, and had to make our
way by buffalo runs, which penetrated the tall
thick grass like tunnels. Along these we had to
proceed nearly doubled up, occasionally caught and
almost choked by creepers, drenched by the dank

398 SAWADY.

grass overhead, and knee-deep in miry clay. By
dint of keeping the sun before ns, we succeeded
in reaching Tahmeylon by noon. Beyond this, the
course of the river winds in a remarkable manner,
doubling successive long tongues of land, and
enclosing a large island overgrown with impene-
trable jungle, until the village of Maloolah is
reached, on the left bank. The villagers warned
us to moor our boats for the night at some dis-
tance from the bank for fear of tigers, which are
numerous, and attack boats near the bank, and even
the villages, at night. In the neighbouring village
of Tsitgna, ten of the inhabitants had been killed by
tigers in the preceding twelve months. We crossed
the stream in the morning in a dug-out, intending
to shoot peafowl in the forest which covered the
rising ground on the right bank, but the margin
of the forest proved so swampy as to prevent all
access. Jungle fowl and squirrels were numerous,
and our servants reported hog-deer. We rejoined
the boats at the outflow of the Manloung stream,
having breakfasted at the pagodas of Old Tsam-
penago. A labyrinth of streams and swamps
extends on the right bank to the place where
a branch of the Tapeng flows round and joins
the Manloung stream. On the left bank the
forest is dense and high, and beyond it rises the
irregular outline of the Kakhyen hills, gradually
becoming more distinct as Tsitkaw is approached.
At this village we found a khyoung outside the

TSITKAW. 399

stockade prepared for our accommodation, and the
baggage was stored in a large shed used for the
storage of the royal cotton. A Burmese guard,
under the command of the tsare-daw-gyee, formed a
cordon around our residence, and by night had
erected a number of huts, while their fires formed
a circle within which no robbers nor tigers were
likely to penetrate.

At five in the afternoon of the next day, Browne,
Margary, and Allan arrived from Bhamo, which they
had left at 10.30. The necessity of avoiding the net-
work of streams and swamps had obliged them to
cross the river three times in boats, while the two led
horses and the ponies swam across.

400 THE ADVANCE.

CHAPTER XV.

THE ADVANCE.

Residence at Tsitkaw — View from our house — The Namthabet —
Junction of the rivers — Arrival of the Woon — Conference of
tsawbwas — Hostages — Kakhyen women — Eiiie practice — A night
alarm — A curious talisman — We leave Tsitkaw — Camp at Tsihet —
Burmese guard-houses — Lankon, Pontine — Camp on the Moonam —
Hostile rumours — Camp on the Nampoung — Departure of Margary
for Manwyne — Esca])e of hostages — Letter from Margary —We enter
China — Campon Shitee Meru — Burmese vigilance — Visit to Seray —
Conference with Seray tsawbwa — Suspicious reception — Return to
camp — Burmese barricades.

The village of Tsitkaw, which seemed little changed
as to its dirty poverty since my recollections of
1868, consists of about eighty huts, built on piles,
enclosed within a bamboo stockade, which was
being repaired. The western half of the village is
occupied by Chinese, and for the first time the Chinese
women are seen, for there are none in Bham5. At
this time the Celestials were busy erecting a wooden
temple outside the stockade. Their principal men
came to our kbyoung to greet Li-kan-shin, otherwise
Moung Yoh, who was known to them, and had
been supposed to be dead. In the Buddhist kbyoung,

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RESIDENCE AT TSITKAW. 401

two French missionaries, Father Lecomte and anotlier,
whom we had met at Bham6, had taken up their
abode. They professed to be engaged in opening
communications between their mission in Burma and
that in Yunnan, and had made interest to accompany
our party. It now appeared that they proposed pro-
ceeding to Manwyne by themselves ; but the Woon
of Bhamo interfered, and refused to allow them to
enter the Kakh3^en hills on the north of the Tapeng.
We were rather puzzled to understand their exact
object or account for their sudden change of plans.

We had to remain at Tsitkaw some days, until the
Kakhyen chiefs assembled and the mules for carriage
to Manwyne arrived. The air and water are better
than at Bhamo, and our sojourn, with its excursions,
was a pleasant time. Our residence consisted of two
bamboo houses, as it were, placed side by side, the
drainage of the two roofs in the centre being caught
in a hollowed log of wood. A wooden ladder led up
to the first apartment, beyond which the sleeping
room was shut off by a kalagah, or curtain. To the
rear a wide alluvial flat stretched away to the dense
jungles swarming with tigers, and beyond which lay
the Manloung lake and its adjoining swamps. From
the front a charming view presented itself. Below
a grassy bank ran the swift, smooth stream, one
hundred and fifty yards broad, bordered on the other
side by yellow sandbanks, fringed by a high screen
of rich verdure marking the limit of the Tapeng in
flood. Beyond this rose the wall of the luxuriant

2 D

402 THE ADVANCE.

forest, backed by the lofty, well wooded Kakbyen
mountains. Six miles distant, this wall appeared
unbroken, for the gorge by which this river de-
bouches is masked by a low line of hills, round
which the Tapeng is deflected in a north-west
direction, until it comes round above Tsitkaw, to
flow towards the Irawady. There were manifold
temptations for a sportsman or a naturalist ; on the
long alluvial flat, in the morning, flocks of parrots,
Sarus crane, and Brahminy ducks, were seen feeding
in numbers, and large snipe and glossy ibis abounded
in the paddy fields. On the sandbanks bordering
the river, flocks of wild geese were wont to settle,
and afibrded us some most literally wild goose chases.
In the great trees, as Margary said, the gorgeous
peacocks were as plentiful as magpies, and he was
most anxious to secure some of their feathered spoils,
to send to General Chiang at Momien, who wanted
the plumage for his hat. We participated in most
enjoyable excursions, and, to quote his words again,
led a regular gipsy life. One was to Manloung
lake, where our havildar shot a deer, to the delight
of the Sikhs, who expressed unqualified admira-
tion of the country, and a strong desire that we
should annex it.

One day was devoted to a long walk to the Nam-
thabet river, beyond the detached range of low hills.
From the village of Tsitgna, we crossed in a dug-out
to the opposite village of Kambanee, where we
observed some Kakbyen women, who seemed almost

THE NAMTHABET. 403

too frightened to raise their eyes from the ground.
The road, at first broad and good, led through a
level tract, covered by forest of eyig tree and high
grass, of the same character as that which extends
between Bhamo and the hills. As the land rose in
long undulations, the character of the forest changed,
a variety of timber succeeded the eng trees, and
dense groves of bamboos filled the hollows. The
slopes soon led up to a tolerably high ridge, covered
with dense forest, except where patches had been
cleared for the cultivation of maize. The summit
commanded an extensive view of the Tapeng plain,
and of the Manloung lake, which was seen to cover a
large area. We descended by a steep path, winding
through bamboo thickets and clearings. In tra-
versing this richly wooded tract, which seemingly
contained all the essentials of a sylvan paradise, we
were impressed with the paucity of bird life ; only a
few parrots screeched their surprise at the intruders.
On a high tree, three pigmy hawks were seen, one
of which fell a victim to the exigences of science.

We presently came on the Namthabet, a clear,
rapid stream, winding in a rocky channel down a
narrow valley, beyond which rose the mass of the
Kakhyen hills, clothed with dense forest. A Kakhyen
woman was just about to cross from the opposite
side, but fled at our appearance, and no persuasion
on the part of our guide could induce her to return.
We descended the valley, passing a fire, on which
rice was cooking in a green bamboo, but the owner

2 D 2

404 THE ADVANCE.

had hidden himself in the bush. We reached the
Tapeng at a place where a sort of slide had been
cut in the banks, down which the bamboos, when
felled, are launched into the river, to be floated
into the Irawady, where they are made into rafts,
and sent down stream to the capital. A party
of Kakhyens were seen busy at work cutting
bamboos, and we passed their temporary huts in
a clearing ; and those of our party who were un-
acquainted with them seemed surprised at their
peaceful and friendly demeanour. A scramble over
the rocky left bank of the Tapeng brought us to the
junction of the two rivers, and the day's march of
fifteen miles was more than repaid by the magnifi-
cent beauty of the gorge through which the Tapeng
debouched from the main range. The towering
masses and walls of rock, clothed to their sum-
mits with forest, at the base of which the river
flowed deep and slow, the exquisite foliage, and the
rich colour of brilliant flowers, made up an enchant-
ing scene, very dififerent from that which the same
river presented when last I viewed it, under lowering
clouds and in full flood, the height of which was now
indicated by a faint brown line on the rocks, thirty
feet above its present level. The Namthabet flowed
out of a lesser gorge spanned by a ricketty bamboo
bridge, which one of us tried to walk over, but was
speedily reduced to fall on hands and knees and crawl
across the vibrating structure. We made our way
back by a forest path through tangled vegetation,

AREIVAL OF WOON. 405

over the ups and downs of tlie ridge, until the proper
road was struck, by which Kambanee was reached
near sundown.

An armed party, preceded by a sonorous gong,
were descried making for Tsitkaw, and at Tsitgna
we learned that our old friend the Woon bad
arrived in person from Bhamo to expedite the
arrangements for our progress to Manwyne. A
conference had been held some days previously with
the tsawbwas of the northern hills ; among whom
were conspicuous our old friend or enemy, Sala, the
Ponline chief, and the pawmine of Ponsee whom
we had nicknamed " Death's Head ;" with them were
others, whose names were unknown to us. It had
been agreed that the hire to be paid per mule to Man-
wyne should be seven rupees eight annas, besides a
fee, by way of tax or toll, of five rupees for each animal.
The final arrangements had been postponed for five
days, when a buffalo' sacrifice was to be held, at
which all the chiefs interested could be present.
They had been convened at Manwyne not by man-
darins but by merchants, who wished to remonstrate
with them about the robberies of caravans, which
constantly occurred on the Ponsee route. An instance
of this was reported during our stay, by some
Chinese, who came in and averred that they had
been fired on by Kakhyens, near Ponsee, and had
been compelled to pay two hundred rupees black-
mail. The day following the Woon's arrival, the
Seray chief was alleged to have brought in a drove

406 THE ADVANCE.

L

of mules. Colonel Browne, on the Woon's invita-
tion, attended a second conference, at wliicli all the
chiefs were present, and signed an agreement, drawn
up in Burmese. It was stipulated that they should
convey us safely to Manwyne, at which place the
agreed upon presents should be distributed to them,
and that the sons of the Ponline, Ponsee, and Seray
tsawbwas should be detained as hostages for the
fulfilment of the contract.

The son of the Seray chief was a young man
whose demeanour and countenance gave a most un-
favourable impression; in fact, he appeared to be
a dissipated young ruffian, and decidedly unfriendly
to the strangers. Sala's son was a lad of fourteen,
much superior to his father in appearance and
manner ; he was a frequent visitor to our khyoung,
and also a patient, as he suffered, like many of his
countrymen, from inflamed eyes, for the cure of
which he seemed duly grateful. He was rather a
favourite of the old Woon, who took him to Bhamo,
and it is to be hoped that the better education and
training will fit him to be a better chief than his
avaricious and treacherous father.

Consequent on the arrival of the tsawbwas, was
a large influx of their subjects, who flocked in in
great numbers, both of men and women, bringing
presents of fowls and vegetables, and bamboo flasks
of sheroo. The members of our party who saw them
in their native independence for the first time were
greatly interested in the " little scowling women "

KAKHYEN WOMEN. 407

and the half savage men. An unpubHshed letter,
almost the last written by Margary, graphically
depicts them : — " We let them ascend to our ratan
floor, raised on stakes, and apart from the novelty,
and indeed fun, of trying to buy their various
curiosities, it is by no means a savoury infliction. The
shocks of an electric machine produce a constant
flow of merriment, and we roar with laughter at the
grimaces and contortions of our savage guests. The
women are getting bold by this time, and come in
considerable numbers, bringing us their simple offer-
ings of friendship. They are the queerest creatures
imaginable, and dirty beyond all description. Yet
there is no small degree of coyness about them,
which makes them interesting, in spite of their red-
stained lips and unwashed legs. They wear the
most marvellous girdles of loose rings of ratan split
to the thickness of a thread, and a belt covered with
cowries. The ears are pierced with big holes, in
which they insert silver tubes six inches long,
adorned with tufts of red cloth. We have been
trying to-day to tempt them to sell these strange
ornaments for dazzling bead necklaces, but to no
purpose. One creature permitted me even to draw
a tube out of her ear, but my attempts at bargaining
only produced good-humoured laughter from the
men and giggles from the women."

The curious crowds became at last so troublesome
that we were obliged to close the mat screen in front
of our entrance hall, to secure ourselves from the

408 TliE ADVANCE.

intruders who wished to watch us at our breakfast.
The excitability of their nature was exemplified
when the Sikhs were paraded at rifle and revolver
practice at a target. The Kakhyen eye-witnesses
shouted and flourished their muskets, and some
sprang to the front blowing their matches, and
indicating that they wished to try their skill. The
Burmese officers had to restrain them, and afterwards
the pawmines came forward, and formally asked the
tsare-daw-gyee to permit them to fire at the targets,
at the same distance, three hundred yards. This was
refused, and the excitement gradually subsided. The
Burmese said that it all arose from the fact that a
Kakhj^en cannot even hear a gun fired without
instantly discharging his own piece, if only in the air.
On February 14th the Ponsee pawmine arrived to
inquire when we would start, and was informed that
we were ready to set out at once. Thereupon a
conference of chiefs took place under a sort of cotton
tent or canopy, which had been erected by the
Burmese, apparently from mistrust of the ability
of our floor to bear a crowd. It was then decided
that we should march on the 16th, as the Burmese
wished that a Chinese caravan should precede us.
The tsare-daw-gyee remarked that if the Kakhyens
intended to attack either party, he would give them
the opportunity to do both, to avoid mistakes. He
reported that orders had been received at Manwyne,
from the governor of Momien, that the English
mission was to be treated " according to custom,"

A NIGHT ALAEM. 409

of which phrase no one could furnish any explana-
tion. In the night we were alarmed by what seemed
to be an apparent stampede of mules, and a pro-
digious shouting from the Burmese guard. It
turned out that a buffalo which the Kakhyens
were slaughtering had broken loose, witb its throat
gashed, and after a chase had been despatched
just opposite our khyoung, where in the morning
they were cutting it up, having fixed the head on
a post of the zayat, probably in our honour as
founders of the feast. At noon, the tsare-daw-gyee
appeared, accompanied by a tsitkay-nekandaw, or
deputy, from Bhamo, who had been sent by the
Woon to report progress. The oflQcial activity was
stimulated by the fact that the ofScer who had been
sent up with us to Mandalay, and had returned
thither, had been condemned to banishment in chains
to Mogoung, because he had not waited to see us off.
As the poor old man had returned with our consent,
and was in bad nealth, our leader wrote to Mandalay
to intercede for his pardon^ which was subsequently
granted by the king. The tsitkay-nekandaw afforded
a curious illustration of a custom mentioned by
Colonel Yule.* The upper part of his cheeks was
disfigured by large swellings, caused by the in-
sertioii under the skin of lumps of gold, to act as
charms to procure invulnerability. Yule mentions
the case of a Burmese convict executed at the

* Yule's ' Marco Polo,' vol. ii. (1875), p. 244.

410 THE ADVANCE.

Andaman Islands, under whose skin gold and silver
coins were found. The stones referred to in the text
of Marco Polo, as well as the substances mentioned
in the note by his learned editor, do not appear
to have been jewels. The custom prevails among
Yunnan muleteers of concealing precious stones
under the skin of the chest and neck, a slit being
made, through which the jewel is forced. This,
however, is not to preserve the owners' lives, but
their portable wealth. While at Mandalay, I ex-
amined some men just arrived from Yung-chang, and
found individuals with as many as fifteen coins and
jewels thus concealed, as a precaution against the
robbers who might literally strip them to their skin,
without discovering the hidden treasure. But our
Burmese official regarded his disfiguring gold as a
certain charm against danger.

During our interview with the Burmese, some of
the pawmines came to receive an advance of one-
third of the mule hire, which was paid them ; and
then Sala appeared to definitely agree on the amount
of toll. One of the other chiefs was asked to be
present, but he preferred leaving it to Sala's decision.
The latter agreed to receive five rupees per mule,
and was most careful to keep off any inquisitive
hillmen while he was debating, and afterwards re-
ceiving the whole amount. As all baggage was ready,
save such articles of bedding, &c., as were daily in
use, the next day was fixed for the actual departure.
Browne, as a final preparation, distributed red turbans

WE LEAVE TSITKAW. 411

to the Burmese guard, which gave something of a
uniform appearance to the otherwise motley horde.

We rose at 6 a.m. on February 16th, and made
all our personal baggage over to the Kakhyens, who
were slow in completing their preparations for a
start. The Ponsee pawmine first appeared, and the
burden of his complaint, conveyed in the strongest
affirmatives, and with most expressive pantomime,
was that he had not received any of the black-mail,
all the payment having been appropriated by Sala.
The tsare-daw-gyee declared that the latter had been
obliged to disgorge his plunder, but as a precaution
he should be kept as a hostage at Tsitkaw. A
difficulty then was occasioned by the size of the box
of edible birds' nests, which no muleteer would take ;
settlement of this was left by Colonel Browne to the
Kakhyen chiefs. A sharp dispute relative to the
method of taking the tallies of the number of the
mules broke out between the " Death's Head " paw-
mine of Ponsee and the Burmese choung-oke. This
ran so high that the pawmine threatened to shoot
the choung-oke, and the old Burman swore he would
cut down the Kakhyen, but the contest resolved
itself into abuse, and the Burman prevailed by
strength of lungs. A discussion then arose between
the Ponsee pawmine and another, whose contingent
of mules the former was desirous of reckoning,
wholly or in great measure, amongst his own.

The muleteers, having been delayed by the
squabble, unloaded their animals and drove them off

412 THE ADVANCE.

to graze ; tlie regathering of them was a work of
time, but they at last filed off, preceded by Margary
and Allan with a division of the Burmese guard.
The rest of the mission, however, was retarded by
the difficulty of finding porters for the rejected box
of birds' nests, the medicine chest, and photographic
apparatus, all of which had been left out in the cold,
and had to be carried by Burmese. At four o'clock,
we finally cleared out of Tsitkaw, watched by Sala,
who waved an adieu from the porch of the house
where he was to reside as a hostage for our safety.
"We observed by the roadside several women sitting
with carafes of water, each containing a flower, from
which they poured libations as they muttered prayers
for our safety. As we passed the succeeding villages
of Hantin, Hentha, and Myohoung, the road was
lined with women similarly occupied. An hour and
a half of slow progress brought us to the hamlet of
Tsihet, at the foot of the hills, outside of which men
awaited us with welcome draughts of pure and cool
water. There are two small villages, each within
its own stockade, separated by a space of thirty yards.
We took up our quarters in a rickety zayat within
the northernmost village. The camp outside pre-
sented a most busy scene. Burmans were cooking
their dinners, while others were erecting temporary
huts of freshly cut bamboos, or thatching them with
bamboo leaves and long grass. Grroups of Kakhyen.
muleteers, who had arrived first, were sitting in
their huts, smoking and chatting ; others were col-

BUEMESE GUARD-HOUSES. 413

lecting and marshalling the mules in lines between
the baggage, each animal having one of its feet
fastened to a wooden peg driven into the ground.
The Burmese had encamped in a cordon enclosing
the Sikhs and Kakhyens, and of course all the
baggage ; and outposts had been established at the
north and south of the village.

The locality of Tsihet, owing to the proximity of
the hills, appeared to be unhealthy, and the children
looked very sickly. This is not to be wondered at
if the ordinary supply of water was to be judged by
that furnished to us in the evening, which seemed to
have come from a buffalo wallow. All the villagers
assembled to watch the kalas at their al fresco dinner,
and eagerly accepted our empty bottles, which were
regarded as precious prizes.

At eight o'clock next morning we were in motion,
and almost immediately began to ascend, crossing a
succession of ridges, till at 9.30 the first Burmese
kengdat, or guard-house, was reached, called Pahtama
Kengdat. It is situated in a hollow, and, like the
rest, consists of a small house built of teak and bam-
boo, raised on piles, and surrounded by a double
bamboo stockade, with two poles bearing white pen-
nants raised in front. The garrison consisted of
some half-dozen Burmese soldiers. Still ascending,
we reached the district of Singnew and at a place
where the road diverged, several Kakhyen men and
women had collected to see us pass. The second
Burmese guard-house, or Lamen Kengdat, and soon

414 THE ADVANCE.

afterwards the village of Pehtoo, or Payto, were
passed, and we entered the territory of Ponline.
From the first village and the third guard-house,
Tap-gna-gyee, we ascended to the principal village
and residence of Sala, called Lankon, where we spent
our first night in Kakhyen land in 1868.*

We halted at noon in front of the chiefs house, by
which grew a fine peach tree in full bloom. A few
old Kakhyens were assembled, and among them the
tsawbwa-gadaw, who produced sheroo, and de-
manded payment, receiving four annas, with which
she seemed very dissatisfied. The road, or rather
track, no wise improved during the last seven years,
was marked on either hand by tufts of raw cotton
which the lower hanging branches had taken as toll
from the frequent caravans. From this village our
route lay to the north of that formerly travelled by
us, and a descent of an hour brought us to a small
stream called Moonam, on the other side of which we
found the camp formed on a slope which had evi-
dently been recently cleared for the site of the fourth
guard-house, named Tsadota Kengdat, surrounded by
high hill spurs on all sides. We put up in the guard-
house, which occupies the highest point of the slope,
and the Burmese formed their usual line round the
Kakhyens. The tsare-daw-gyee made his appearance
later, having followed a different route, which brought

* See page 73. The name of the village was understood by
us, on that occasion, to be the same as that of the district, viz.
Ponline,

HOSTILE EUM0UR8. 415

him to the north-eastern end, where he encamped
his party. All around us during the evening we
heard the gongs answering each other, and the loud
shouts, or " All's well !" of the Burmese outposts.

After a refreshing bath, we took a stroll up the
hill under the guidance of a Kakhyen to look for
pheasants, from which we brought back nothing but
a portion of an enormous fungus. Before bed-
time, Browne announced that a Kakhyen had come
to him with the information that four hundred evil-
disposed Kakhyen s had assembled themselves beyond
Ponsee to dispute our advance. More friendly
visitors were promised in the shape of the tsawbwa-
gadaw of Woonkah and her followers, who were
expected to arrive in the morning from her hus-
band's village, situated on the mountain to the north
of Ponline.

"While waiting in the morning of February 18th
for the arrival of our expected visitors, the tsare-
daw-gyee with his subordinate officers appeared, and
in a very serious tone repeated the information that
four hundred evil-disposed Kakhyens and Chinese
hill dacoits had taken obligations among themselves
to attack us, probably for the sake of plunder. The
amount of credence to be given to the report was
variously estimated, both by Kakhyens and Bur-
mese. Moung Mo and Moung Yoh disbelieved it ;
but the former wretched old man became suddenly
unwell, to such an extent that he feared he would be
unable to go forward. The Ponsee pawmine scouted

416 -^ THE ADVANCE.

the story, and averred it' to be an invention of a
worthless Kakhyen who met us yesterday. Our
Sikh havildar promptly volunteered to advance with
his fifteen men, and clear the road of any number
of these mountaineers, whom his observations at
Sawady and elsewhere made him hold very cheaply.
The tsare-daw-gyee declared that he and his men
were ready to fight, but that it was desirable to
advance peaceably if possible. It was finally decided
that we should proceed to the last Burmese guard-
house on the banks of the Nampoung, and the cara-
van set out about nine o'clock.

After a short, steep ascent, within hearing of the
roar of the distant Tapeng, the road descended
to the Nampoung. Passing over two short ridges,
whence a magnificent view of the glen nmning
south-south-west to north-north-east is obtained, and
then traversing a ' steep path in a succession of
narrow zigzags to the banks of the stream,
we arrived at the fifth Burmese guard-house by
10.30 A.M.

The valley of the Nampoung is a deep, narrow
glen, bordered on either side by high mountains,
and .in no place is it broader than two hundred
yards. The river is a rapid clear stream, flowing
in a rocky channel between rock-strewn flats edged
by high grass on either side. The barjks rise
abruptly, covered with lofty forest trees, tangled
with magnificent creepers and festooned with orchids.
Some miles to the north a rather treeless valley com-

DEPARTUEE OF MARGAEY. 417

municates with the glen, apparently running in a
direction behind Manwyne. The guard-house occu-
pies a level open space, covered with terraces of
paddy cultivation. To the south the glen terminates
in a deep gorge, down which the river rushes to
the Tapeng. We found the encampment formed,
and the people, as usual, busily preparing their
huts, as, notwithstanding the advice of the Ponsee
pawmine, that we should proceed to Shitee, it had
been decided that we should remain here.

Another Burman had arrived from Manwyne,
confirming the report of danger ahead, but Margary
discredited it, and expressed his readiness, if neces-
sary, to proceed to Manwyne to inquire into the
truth of the rumoured opposition. The tsare-daw-
gyee approved of this step, and it was decided to
send Margary forward, as he was known to the
Manwyne people from his recent stay at that town,
and to all the Chinese officers in the district as being
under the protection of the viceroy of Yunnan.

During the afternoon gongs and cymbals were
heard beating high up the hill on the Chinese or
left side of the valley, and Kakhyens were seen
peering down at us from among the trees. These
proved to be the followers of the Shitee Meru
tsawbwa, who, however, would not come across
into Burmese territory, and after some time distant
shots announced his return to his village. In the
evening the encampment presented a picturesque
scene, the red turbans of the Burmese combining

2 E

418 THE ADVANCE.

with the rich greenery of the palm leaves which
thatched the numerous huts. The Ponsee pawmine
had erected for himself a wigwam of feathery palm
fronds, and the gleam of the bright fire, round
which a group of men in blue were chatting and
smoking, lit up a picture that one longed to sketch.

We had a farewell dinner in the evening, to
which Margary's Chinese writer was invited. Our
discussion of the prospects of the mission, though
clouded by no anticipations of the fearful fate to
which our gallant comrade was about to set out,
lasted till a late hour, while the gongs of the
watchful Burmese sounded as usual from various
points all round our position.

Margary started for Seray en route for Manwyne
early in the morning of February the 19 th. He
was accompanied by his writer, Yu-tu-chien, of
whom I have already spoken, an intelligent Chinese
Christian, who during his stay with us had made
himself both liked and respected. The other at-
tendants were his official messenger, or ting-chai,
Lu-ta-lin, from the consulate at Shanghai ; his boy,
Ch'ang-yong-chien, known by the name of Bom-
bazine ; Li-ta-yu, a servant from Sz-chuen ; and
his cook, Chow-yu-ting, a native of Hankow, all of
whom had accompanied their master in the journey
across China. Besides his followers, Moung Yoh,
or Li-kan-shin, and a pawmine of Seray, of by no
means prepossessing appearance, and remarkable for
a peculiar loud voice, escorted him to Seray. ■

LETTEE FEOM MARGAEY. 419

The morning was devoted by myself to an attempt
under the guidance of a Kakhyen to explore the
valley, which was rendered difficult by the dense
jungle, and the unwillingness of the native to pro-
ceed more than two or three miles from the camp.

The reports of threatened opposition were as rife
as ever ; but some Chinese who arrived during the
day professed ignorance of any uneasiness among
the hill tribes. A Kakhyen was brought in by the
Burmese to the guard-house, who had come from
Manwyne on the previous day on purpose to tell us,
at some risk to himself, that a body of men had been
collected to attack us, by one Yang-ta-jen, in league
with the Seray tsawbwa. The messenger seemed
half-witted, but was clear in his story, which certainly
agreed with the previous reports. News arrived that
all the hostages detained at Tsitkaw had escaped
with the exception of Sala. One of them was the
son of the Ponsee pawmine, and his father, who had
been detailed to accompany Margary, was kept back
to be sent to Tsitkaw in place of his son. The
tsawbwa-gadaw of Woonkah duly arrived with her
gift of fowls, eggs, and sheroo, and received broad-
cloth and other presents, with which she speedily
disappeared, not without grumbling that she had
not been paid in money for her fowls !

Nothing further occurred till next morning, when
messengers brought a letter from Margary, dated
from Seray, announcing that so far the road was
unmolested, and all the people met with were civil,

2 E 2

420 THE ADVANCE.

and that he should proceed to Manwyne. He noted
that when in the Seray chief's house, the Seray
pawmine evinced his contempt for the Burmese by
spitting on the ground.

On the strength of this communication, although
the tsare-daw-gyee urged that no movement should
be made until the news of Margary's reception at
Manwyne reached us. Colonel Browne resolved to
proceed at once, and, if possible, reach that town
in one march. The camp was accordingly struck,
and, crossing the Nampoung, we entered China.

The road we were to pursue led straight up a
steep spur of the main range dividing the Tapeng
from the Nampoung, the highest point of which,
Shitee Meru, rises immediately to the north of
Ponsee, the position of the long detention of the
first expedition of 1868. I set out in advance of
the rest, accompanied by my men and the Kakh-
yen scout who had brought the information from
Manwyne. The ascent commenced directly from
the Nampoung valley, and three hours' climb of the
hill-path brought us to the first Shitee village at
noon. The tsawbwaship has been divided among
three brothers, each having a village of his own, but
the youngest, according to Kakhyen rules, being the
chief of Shitee Meru. At the first village we were
hospitably received and refreshed with sheroo, and
the children were delighted with beads and small
coins. Here we found a native of India, a slave, who
had come from beyond Assam, and had forgotten most

CAMP ON SHITEE MEEU. 421

of his language, but made himself known by calling out
pani. On the hillside I met the Shitee Meru tsawbwa
coming down with two men, one of whom escorted me
some way ; and next appeared the Wacheoon tsawbwa
with a party of forty armed followers, some of them
mounted on ponies. He was very friendly, and sent
an escort back with us, one of whom had brought a
lizard for the Englishman. The road wound up and
over the spurs running down from the backbone
of the Shitee-doung to the Nampoung, which flows
from the north-east along a valley lying below the
north-western slope of the main range that defines
the right bank of the Tapeng. The greatest height
reached on Shitee Meru Doung was about five
thousand seven hundred feet above the sea, from
which we descended slightly to the site chosen for
our encampment, the altitude of which was found
to be five thousand five hundred feet, where we
halted at 3.30, after a march of about eight miles.

Between two rounded ridges running down to the
Nampoung, one in our rear covered with forest, and
the other with grass, about five hundred yards distant
to the north-east, extended two flat clearings, where
the caravans were accustomed to bivouack, the first
and smaller clearing being close to the western
spur. On the second and larger space, divided from
the first by a mountain stream, and lying at a
somewhat higher elevation, immediately along the
grassy spur, the camp was pitched. Around and
above the encampments the forest had been cleared,

422 THE ADVANCE.

and the open space was covered with high grass
interspersed with boulders. Just below the encamp-
ments the ground sloped abruptly into a grassy
hollow between the ridges, which served as a
grazing ground for the mules. The main moun-
tain ridge, which rose to a height of six hundred
feet above us, was clothed to its summit with
dense forest, which formed a continuous covert,
extending along the projecting ridge in the rear,
and thus enclosing and commanding our position
on the south and east. Below the hollow, the
hiUside, clothed with impenetrable jungle, sank
abruptly to the Nampoung. The country over which
the road wound along the slope, in the direction
of Seray, consisted of old clearings covered with
jungle grass and patches of uncut forest. The imme-
diate exit of the road led through a depression in the
ridge, and descended the intervening hollow, and,
thence reascending, crossed the next spur.

We bivouacked in the open among the mules and
baggage, and surrounded by the fires, the smoke from
which was at first most intolerable, but no other
annoyance or disturbance was experienced, and our
Kakhyens enjoyed themselves listening to the
melodies of a musical-box, which had become an
especial favourite with them. The Burmese were as
vigilant as ever, and their sentinels seemed to be on
the alert all night. The tsawbwas of Wacheoon and
Ponwah visited the camp, and they had heard nothing
of any suspicious movements of troops, and the other

VISIT TO SERAY. 423

Shans who brought fowls for sale confirmed this.
Our interpreter, Moung Yoh, returned to the camp
in company with the Seray men, the latter being
remarkably well dressed and equipped, and evidently
old acquaintances of the Burmese. He reported that
the Seray chief was dissatisfied on account of the
payment of the mule tax or dues to Sala, which,
however, had been done with the knowledge and
approval of the son of Seray. Moung Yoh then
suggested that presents should be sent to Seray,
whom he had discovered to be a great friend of his
uncle, Li-sieh-tai, and to whose house be returned the
same evening to await our arrival.

We were in readiness to start by seven o'clock
in the morning of the 2 1st, but the tsare-daw-gyee
intimated that he did not think it prudent to move
until the tsawbwas of Shitee Meru, Woonkah, and
others arrived. His real intention, however, was to
remain in this camp until definite news came from
Mr. Margary ; but as the arrangement had been
made with the latter that we were to advance if we
did not hear from him warning us to the contrary,
Colonel Browne resolved to push forward to Seray
with the Sikhs, leaving the Burmese guard and
caravan to follow. I started with my men in
advance, but in a short time was overtaken by
Browne, Allan, and Fforde, followed by the Sikhs
and their servants, with the two led horses, the
camp having thus been left to the Kakhyens, under
the charge of the Burmese. Their cavalcade soon

424 THE ADVANCE.

outstripped my party, as we were stooting, and
collecting plants. The road lies over numerous spurs
and through deep wooded hollows, and then crosses
the watershed dividing the Nampoung valley from
the gorge of the Tapeng; on the southern or Man-
wyne side of the ridge lies the district of Seray.
Here a Shan Burman, wearing the red turhan of our
escort, accompanied by a Kakhyen, overtook us, and
by signs gave me to understand that the tsare-daw-
gyee wished us to return. As none of us could
speak Burmese, I signed to him to proceed quickly
and communicate his news to Colonel Browne, which
he did, and I ordered my men to press forward to
overtake the rest of the party, while I waited behind
for my groom and pony. The messenger on his
return signified that Colonel Browne was continuing
his progress to Seray. The road descended into a
hollow, from which a steep ascent leads to Serav.
Here a difficulty arose about the road, as several
paths diverged, and there was nothing to indicate
which had been taken by Colonel Browne's party.
Unfortunately, I took a wrong one, and soon arrived
at a strange village, the inhabitants of which had,
doubtless, never before seen an European. Accord-
ing to Kakhyen custom, I dismounted before entering,
and, seeing some women standing at the door of the
first house, indicated by signs that I desired to know
the road. They sulkily waved to me to go on up-
wards. Imagining that the end of the village was
reached, I prejiaied to remount, but this was resented

SUSPICIOUS RECEPTION. 425

by a number of men who rushed out of a house, and,
shouting, drew their dahs in a threatening manner.
I tried to induce some of them, by the offer of com-
praw, to show me the way, but none would do so.
Proceeding onwards, followed by the hillmen, I
suddenly found my big dog by my side. As his
presence was evidence that some of my men were
behind, I turned my pony's head, and all the Kakh-
yens bolted. After retracing my steps for some
distance, I discovei'ed my collectors and servants
hiding for fear in a deep hollow. Presently 1 met
a Kakhyeii boy, who conducted us to the village of
Seray.

Seray, like the majority of Kakhyen villages, is
finely situated on the summit of a ridge, among lofty
trees, enclosing a grassy glade in its centre. The
paths approaching the village are broad, and its
vicinity is indicated by groups of high massive
wooden posts, with simple devices in black, and by
groves to the nats, and by small circular walled
enclosures devoted to the worship of the sky spirit.
On arriving, I found all the Sikhs ranged in front oi
the tsawbwa's house, also the chiefs of Woonkah and
Wacheoon, and Allan's Chinese clerk. It was sc
dark on entering that at first I could not recognise
Colonel Browne, Allan, and Fforde, save by their
voices. The chief, who knew me again, was seated
on the ground, and it was observable that he and
all his men were armed. The restlessness which he
exhibited, his withdrawing outside for private con-

426 THE ADVANCE.

ferences with his pawmine, and the fact that all the
women had left the house, excited suspicion ; but
when the latter returned, and the chief and his paw-
mine divested themselves of their dahs, I concluded
that any hostile intention that might have been
originally entertained against us had for the present
been abandoned. Then sheroo and hard boiled eggs
were brought in and set before us ; but further parley
with the chief produced no results, and we adjourned
to a grove of oak and hazel trees on the outskirts of
the village. Moung Yoh, or Li-kan-shin, the pro-
fessed nephew of Li-sieh-tai, who had been acting as
our interpreter, and addressing Seray as uncle as a
mark of friendship, presently came to request Colonel
Browne to return to the chief's house. There it was
decided that the Seray and Woonkah tsawbwas
should proceed to Manwyne at once, and ascertain
the actual state of things, and talce a letter to Mar-
gary. Another Burman had arrived from the camp
to request us to return, and we mounted our ponies,
and retraced our steps. On the road we met
some Kakhyens, one of whom seized the bridle of
Browne's horse, and signed him to go back, as the
road was beset, but as our friend was under the
influence of sheroo, we spoke to him pleasantly and
proceeded. This man was a pawmine of Shitee, who
returned to the camp in the evening, and, when
taxed with having been intoxicated, admitted that
he had started with a bamboo flask full of sheroo,
which he had finished. These incidents showed that

BUEMESE BAEEICADES. 427

there was an uneasy apprehension of danger, but
that in the immediate vicinity the Kakhyens were
friendly.

During our absence, the Burmese had thrown
up barricades or breastworks of stones and earth,
at points above the camp, and commanding the
road to Seray. The tsare-daw-gyee announced to
Browne that we should certainly be attacked by the
Chinese either that evening or on the march the
next day. Some men were observed peering down
from among the trees on the hill-brow, as if recon-
noitring our position. The Burmese, who were
collecting firewood, came running down as fast as
they could, and the whole camp set up a fearful
shout to scare the supposed enemies, who disap-
peared, and the excitement gradually subsided.

428 EEPULSB OF MISSION.

CHAPTER XVI.

REPULSE OF MISSION.

Appearance of enemy — Murder of Margary — Friendly tsawbwas —
Mission attacked — Woonkah tsawbwa bought over — The jungle
fired — Eepulse of attack — Incidents of the day — Our retreat —
Shitee — Burmese reinforcements — Halt at guard-house — Eetreat
on Tsitkaw via Woonkah — Elias and Cooke's visit to Muangmow —
Li-sieh-tai — Return of Captain Cooke — Elias at Muangmow —
Father Lecomte and the Mattin chief — A forged letter ^ — The Say a
of Kaungtoung — Reports regarding Margary — The commission of
inquiry — Return of Elias — Visit to the second defile — Mission's
return to Rangoon.

We were all astir with early daylight on February
22nd, and prepared our baggage for the advance
to Manwyne ; but about seven o'clock large bodies
of armed men were observed on the heights above
us hurrying downwards in the direction of Shitee,
as if to cut off" our retreat. There was no mistaking
their hostile purpose, and the Burmese immediately
detached parties to occupy the positions which they
had fortified, one being above the camp, and another
thrown forward to a point of the road leading to
Seray, which commanded the next hollow and the
opposite ridge. The Woonkah tsawbwa came into the
camp, and communicated to Colonel Browne a repoit

MUEDEE OF MAEGAEY. 429

which received almost instant confirmation. The
tsare-daw-gyee appeared with a very serious counte-
nance, and produced two letters received from the
Burmese agents at Manwyne. They briefly narrated
the horrible murder of Mr. Margary on the previous
day at Manwyne ; his writer and other attendants
were also reported to have been killed . No particulars
were given ; but the tsare-daw-gyee was warned tliat
we were about to be attacked, and that it would be
for his own interest to detach himself by some miles
from the English, failing which precaution he would
incur the same danger, although the Chinese bore no
ill-will to him and his party. The Burmese officer,
however, promptly addressed himself to the defence
of the camp, and we went up with him to the spur
just above to reconnoitre, while the Sikhs took up
a position behind a long low boulder lying at the
western end of the camp, which served as a natural
breastwork, whence they commanded the road by
which we had come. The friendly Kakhyen tsawbwas
of Woonkah and Wacheoon had hastened away to
bring up reinforcements, and the mules were driven
down into the grapsy hollow below the camp. These
preparations had not been completed when the
enemy opened fire I'rom all sides but one. The
assailants had descended the ridge, hidden by the
forest which, as already described, surrounded our
position on two sides. This had masked their ad-
vance, and served as a perfect cover for them, the
report and smoke of their fire-arms alone showing^

430 EEPULSE OF MISSION.

their whereabouts ; it was plain, however, that they
were in force to the south and east, and they
evidently selected our party as the object of attack,
avoiding the Burmese, who, however, actively re-
turned the fire. Presently some of the assailants, led
by a Chinese brandishing a long trident, rushed out
from the jungle to the smaller open space. The Sikhs
at once opened fire on them, which drove them
behind whatever cover could be found, and stopped
any further advance for a time. As soon as they
were hidden, our men ceased firing. This seemed
to embolden the enemy, and a second detachment
■rushed down and distributed themselves among the
bushes. A brisk and well-aimed volley drove them
out in a mass, up the narrow entrance to the road.
One man at least was seen to fall dead, and others,
wounded, were dragged up by their companions.
For some hours, firing from the men concealed in
the forest continued on all three sides. As these
Kakhyens and Chinese only raised their firelocks to
the side of the head, looked for a second forwards, and
then fired, the bullets went over our heads. The steady
firing pf the Sikhs at last seemed to be too much for
tl|e enemy, and about 2 p.m. they were seen retreat-
ing along the ridge above, and the firing to the south
ceased. As they were retreating, we fired on them
at about a thousand yards' range, and this evidently
astonished them, as the}" rushed past, stooping at the
exposed points where the fire told. When every-
thing seemed quiet, and the road appeared clear.

MISSION ATTACKED. 431

the mules were brought up from the hollow, and the
muleteers hastened to get the loads ready. While
this was being done, a party of our Kakhyens made
a rush to the open space, where one of the enemy
had been seen to fall, and returned with his head,
which was tied up by the pig tail to a tree. It was
subsequently reported that he was a Chinese officer,
but his dress and appearance hardly indicated such
rank. Before the preparations for a start were
completed, the enemy returned in much greater
force, and reoccupied the coverts, and it was esti-
mated that they were at least five hundred strong.
Firing recommenced from the heights and the forest
around, and our position appeared to be completely
surrounded, except on the side of the descent to the
Nampoung valley. The question of abandoning
the baggage and effecting a retreat by this, the
only line left open, was mooted, but the tsare-daw-
gyee urged delay, and his men as well as ourselves
maintained a steady fire on the enemy.

The Woonkah tsawbwa, with a number of his
men, had returned to the camp just before the
first repulse of the enemy, and he informed Colonel
Browne that the Seray chief had offered him five
hundred rupees if he would join in the attack on us.
The drift of this remark was at once seen by Colonel
Browne, who promptly offered him ten thousand
rupees if he could succeed in bringing off all the
baggage. It was difficult for the Kakhyen's mind
to conceive so large an amount of coin, and the

V

432 I?EPULSE OF MISSION.

tsare-daw-gyee had to make him comprehend it by
stating that he would receive " three basketfuls of
silver."

Just as this arrangement had been concluded, we
heard the shouts of men, apparently coming up
behind the southern spur, which was occupied by
the enemy. The Burmese at first thought that
this indicated the approach of a reinforcement
which was hourly expected to arrive from Bhamo.
Presently, however, the forest in front of them
••'' burst into a blaze, having been fired by the Shitee
tsawbwa and his Kakhyens with those of Woonkah .
This manoeuvre proved most successful, and the
enemy was speedily forced to retire, and as other
coverts were successively fired below the heights
by the Burmese, they were soon in full retreat
along the heights, exposed to the fire of our rifles,
which told on them at several open places. Firing,
however, continued for some time below the heights,
and on the side of the ridge commanding the Seray
road a desultory fire was also kept up. The Burmese
guard were here posted behind an earthwork, and
kept the enemy at bay on that side ; and after the
southern spur and eastern heights were cleared, we
took the Sikhs down to support the Burmese, and
fired into the further hollow, the only remaining
covert of the enemy.

All firing had nearly ceased by about five o'clock.
The jungle on all other sides being now cleared and
the road to Shitee open, the order was given to

INCIDENTS OF THEf DAY. 433

reload tlie mules. They were speedily brought up
out of the hollow, where they had remained in safety,
and all were soon loaded. Some mules and drivers
had disappeared, but willing Kakhyens, either of
Shitee or Woonkah, speedily shouldered the remain-
ing loads, and the vacant pack saddles were heaped
up and burned before we left. At the close of the
day, though bullets had been flying about in all
directions, the casualties on our side only amounted
to three men slightly wounded, and a mule shot in
the neck. The firing was mainly directed at the
officers of the mission, and whenever we moved
towards the baggage, bullets fell freely about us,
while the Chinese shouted to the tsare-daw-gyee that
they did not wish to kill his men, but the " foreign
devils." Our Burmese showed great spirit, and the
tsare-daw-gyee, from first to last, was deserving of
the highest praise. One of his men, while trying
to drive out some Chinese, had his red turban carried
off by the prongs of a trident, but succeeded in
evading a more fatal thrust of the weapon. The
loss of the enemy was variously reported, and it is
impossible to give an accurate return. Some perished
in the burning jungle, and so far as the reports
afterwards furnished could be relied on, of the
assailants about eight or ten were killed and thirty
wounded. I noticed that young men not more than
twenty years of age, and even boys, were numerous
among their ranks. The well-known loud voice
of the Seray pawmine was heard, and the tsawbwa's

2 F

434 EEPULSE OF MISSION.

son as well as the tsawbwa of Ponsee were said to
have been present. The son of Seray was detected
by the report of his double-barrelled gun, a present
to his father at the time of the former expedition,
both barrels of which were fired at once, making
the double report easily distinguishable.

The letters received from Manwyne had stated
that the party about to attack us was the vanguard
of a force of three thousand men, whom the governor
of Momien had despatched to oppose our progress.
The reader will remember that our camp at Ponsee
was menaced with attack, in April 1868, by the law-
less Kakhyens of this very district, and, although on
the other side of the mountain, our position on this,
occasion was close to that place.. Numerous rob-
beries had been previously reported in this district,
and the attacking party undoubtedly consisted
largely of the Ponsee and Seray Kakhyens. These
belong to the Lakone tribe, while the clans of the
Woonkah, Wacheoon, and Shitee chiefs, who ren-
dered such faithful assistance, are offsets of the
Cowlie tribe. [Wiih. the Kakhyens were associated a
number of Chinese rowdies or perhaps soldiers ; but
the assailants could hardly be reckoned other than
local robbers, who thought that the Burmese would
not resist, and that our own guards were too few,
while the prospect of such a rich booty was enough
to make them encounter the risks of a fight.! The
staunch defence, the effect produced by the long
range of the rifles, and the bold diversion in our

OUR RETREAT. 435

favour directed by the Shitee and Woonkah chiefs,
who fired the jungle, combined to disappoint their
expectations. It must not be understood from this
that the subsequent reports of the advance of Chinese
troops, and of hostility on the part of the Momien
officials, are discredited. The frontier Chinese were
strongly prejudiced against our entrance into
Yunnan, and the Kakhyens and local robbers
would be stimulated by the reported or actual
advance of troops to anticipate any overt acts of
hostility, and try to secure the rich booty for
themselves.

When the baggage train had all moved safely off,
escorted by some of the Burmese guard, we set out
on the return to Shitee, followed by the Sikhs,
the rear being brought up by the tsare-daw-gyee.
Mr. Fforde, with a few of his men, remained for a
short time, while the Burmese posted on the road to
Seray held their position until all were clear off,
then followed slowly after us to cover the retreat.
We started at 5.30, and in half an hour reached
Shitee, having met on the road some of the Burmese
reinforcements which had come up from Bhamo.
The baggage was all collected in a pile before the
tsawbwa's house, and the tsitkay-nekandaw, who
commanded the newly arrived detachment, was
posted with forty of his men behind an earthwork
which they had thrown up, covering the approach
to the village. Both the tsawbwa and the tsare-
daw-gyee wished us to remain fox the night at this

2 F 2

436 EEPULSE OF MISSION.

place. The chief feared that the Chinese would come
down and burn his village in revenge for his having
aided us. The Burmese argued, that if the members
of the mission continued the retreat, it would
appear as though we were deserting the baggage,
which could not be brought further that evening.
The position of the village, situated on the slope of
the mountain spur, and closely surrounded by dense
jungle, seemed too much exposed to a night attack,
, and Colonel Browne decided to push on to the guard-
V house on the Nampoung. We started accordingly
at 6.30, accompanied by the tsare-daw-gyee and
some of the Burmese. It soon became very dark,
and the descent down the rocky footpath, bordered
on one side by a steep declivity, was tedious and
dangerous. We could not see the stones or the
edges of the track, and when passing through thick
groves of trees, even a white pony right in front
of me was invisible.

For nearly four long hours we stumbled down-
wards, the latter part of the journey being somewhat
facilitated by the moonlight, which, however, was
obscured by the impenetrable forest and the sur-
rounding heights. Crossing the Nampoung, the
guard-house was safely reached, and we were com-
forlably housed. As four of the mules had brought
on some bedding, food, and cooking utensils, we
were not so badly off as the Sikhs, who had marched
laden with ammunition besides packets of sycee
silver, which had been distributed among them for

WOONKAH. 437

safety in the crisis of the attack, and had only
supplies of dry rice.

The next morning it was resolved that the Woou-
kah tsawbwa, who had accompanied us, should
return to Shitee, and bring down the remainder
of the baggage, while we should await his arrival.
Two hours later the tsare-daw-gyee reported that the
Chinese were collecting in force at the northern and
southern ends of the Nampoung valley to renew the
attack. He therefore advised us to proceed at once
to Tsitkaw by the Woonkah road. In a short time
we were toiling up the steep ascent leading to the
district and village of Woonkah, which lies on the
summit of the high ridge forming the western water-
shed of the Nampoung, and must be at an altitude
equal to that of Shitee. The tsare-daw-gyee brought
up the rear of the party, and during the march sent
forward a messenger to urge us to press on, because
the Chinese were reported to be rapidly assembling.
The people of the first Woonkah village welcomed
us with evident satisfaction, and the tsawbwa-gadaw
brought a grateful supply of sheroo, which was most
refreshing. Here we were joined by the tsare-daw-
gyee, and it was proposed to him that we should leave
the led horses behind, but he objected to this as
unnecessary.

From Woonkah the descent of the hills com-
menced, the road passing through a forest of very
lofty trees clear of underwood. As we neared the
junction of a road from the north with the Woonkah

4:38 EEPULSE OF MISSION.

track, our advanced guard of Burmese beckoned us to
follow quickly, and most carefully reconnoitred the
sides of a spur which sloped down towards us, but
nothing but dense jungle was visible. They evinced
the same anxious caution at the point where the
Ponline road joined our route before the third guard-
house was reached. The Sikhs were beginning to
be much distressed, and we had to relieve them by
giving up our ponies for their use in turns. Tsihet
was reached at 2.30, and, after a short rest, we pro-
ceeded to Tsitkaw, where we arrived at sundown,
and were congratulated on our escape by the second
tsitkay-nekandaw, who met us outside at the head
of a guard lining each side of the road. We put.
up in our old quarters, but without any supplies,
as no baggage had arrived ; and for bedding, v^e
had straw and Shan felt coverlets. Fortunately,
some tins of preserved meat were forthcoming, but
we had to procure from the villagers some clay
vessels for cooking, and a blue bowl to serve instead
of plates.

We remained two days at Tsitkaw expecting the
baggage, the lighter portions of which arrived in
charge of the Burmese. Another detachment of eighty-
five men came from Bhamo, on the morning after our
arrival, and marched straight on to the hills. The
indefatigable tsare-daw-gyee also received orders
from the Woon to return at once to Woonkah, and
remain there personally to oversee the despatch of
all the baggage. It is impossible to speak too highly

TSITKAW. 439

of the care for our safety on the march, and the
general conduct, of this Burmese ofiScer. Various
reports were brought in as to the loss suffered
by the enemy; and both Burmese and Kakhyens
seemed to have been strongly impressed by the " far
shooting" of our rifles. The Kakhyen who had
brought the earliest information of the intended
attack made his appearance, and was delighted at
finding his services recompensed with a handsome
reward. He was so elated that, Kakhyen-like, he
returned with a " tail " of followers, and, giving
himself out as a tsawbwa, tried to get something
for his companions, in which he was unsuccessful.
We were also rejoined by our old interpreter, Moung
Mo, who had disappeared at Shitee ; but of Moung
Yoh, or Li-kan-shin, and Allan's Chinese clerk, who
had been last seen or heard of at Seray, nothing
certain could be ascertained. Subsequent reports
stated that they liad both been murdered, biit no
trustworthy intelligence was received either of their
death or escape.

On the second day of our stay at Tsitkaw, letters
were received from the Resident at Bhamo in reply
to the despatch announcing our repulse. He had
fortunately been on the point of sending some
Lenna Kakhyens with letters to Elias at Muaugmow,
and had promised them a reward if they escorted
our companion safely back. The Woon sent to
request our return to Bhamo, as he had heard of
an intended attack on Tsitkaw by the Khanloung

440 EEPULSE OF MISSION.

Kakhyens, a most lawless race of robbers inhabiting
the bills above the Molay river. Extra guards were
accordingly posted by the choung-oke, and all the
soldiers were ordered to be on the alert ; but the
night passed off quietly. We all returned, some
by road and the rest by boat, to Bhamo, on
February 26th, and were welcomed at the Eesidency
by Captain Cooke.

He had no news of Elias, who on the 17th instant
was still at Muangmow, and whose position, alone
in the power of Li-sieh-tai, seemed precarious and
alarming. To explain it, I must again mention
that Captain Cooke and Mr. Ney Elias had started,
under the convoy of the Lenna chief of Paloungto,
by the Sawady route, intending, if possible, to
meet us at Momien. They went from Bhamo to
Mansay, and, leaving the latter place early in the
morning, arrived at the Kakhyen village of Kara
by nine o'clock. The chief Kara village, named
Peetah, lies a few miles distant. Two miles from this
place, they entered the country of the Lenna Kakh-
yens, and a march of seven miles brought them to
Wurrabone, a small village situated near the summit
of a mountain. This is the seat of the elder brother
of the Paloungto chief, at whose house they spent the
night, being received with the utmost attention that
Kakhyen hospitality could show. From their obser-
vation, the Lenna tribe appear to be a very superior
race of Kakhyens, their houses and manners evincing
a higher degree of civilisation than is found amongst

ELIAS AND COOKE. 44=1

the Kara or Lakone tribe. Starting at midday from
Wurrabone, the party arrived at sunset at Paloungto, a
village of twenty houses. A mai'ch of six miles over
a rough hill road led to Namkai, the largest Lenna
village, containing forty houses, whence a road
leads to Muangwan and Hotha. Here the road,
passing through a part of the Lakone country,
descended for nine miles to Pamkam, a small village
lying at the foot of the hills on the right bank of the
Namwan or Muangwan river. From this point, at
which the Chinese frontier is crossed, and the level
valley of the Shuaylee is entered, Kwotloon, in the
territory of Muangmow, is only a mile distant.
Arriving at sunset, the travellers halted for the
night, the Shan inhabitants proving sullen and
inclined to be uncivil. Their behaviour was a
marked contrast to the demeanour of the dreaded
Lenna Kakhyens, through whose hills the party had
passed without any diiEculty, while their expenses
had not amounted to five rupees, the hospitable
tsawbwas insisting on supplying everything re-
quired. The only chance of delay arose at
Paloungto, where the tsawbwa wanted to give a
grand buffalo sacrifice and feast in honour of his
guests, and to propitiate the nats in their favour.
He postponed the ceremonial at Cooke's request
until the return journey of the latter. After leaving
Kwotloon, the Namwan stream was crossed, and
a day's march on the left bank of twenty-four
miles in a south-easterly direction, and ascend-

U2 EE PULSE OE MISSION.

ing tlie right bank of the Shuaylee through an
open, level country, brought the party to the Shan
town of Muangmow. This place, the residence of
the tsawbwa, like the towns of the Sanda valley, is
surrounded by a brick wall sixteen feet high, with-
out bastions or embrasures, but backed by an earth-
work. Four gates, corresponding to the points of
the compass, lead into the town, which occupies a
square of about six hundred yards, and is inhabited
by Shan Chinese. The travellers at once proceeded
to call on Li sieh-tai, who was residing in a ruinous
yamen, and commanded a force of apparently about
fifty Chinese soldiers, although said to number
three hundred. This redoubtable Chinese official
received them with great civility, addressing Elias
as "his elder brother," and assigned them quar-
ters in a kh young close to the western gate of the
town.

Li-sieh-tai is. described as a little but broad-
shouldered and powerful man, with a large head
and ugly visage, baving an unusually wide mouth,
with thick and protruding lips. In conversation
he looks straight at his interlocutor, which is in
marked contrast to the usually downcast or shift-
ing glance of the other Chinese. He showed his
literary acquirements by carefullj'^ perusing the im-
perial passports, which he declared to be quite satis-
factory, and amply sufficient to ensure the bearer's
safety if once in the mandarins' country beyond
Sehfan. The difficulty would be in the journey

COOKE'S KETURN. 443

from Muangmow to Sehfan, as there was a feud
between the tsawbwas of these states.

Captain Cooke resolved to return to Bhamo, as his
presence might render it more difficult or tedious
for Mr. Elias to proceed to Momien. When he with
his followers proposed to depart, he found the
western gate closed, and was told that it could not
be opened without the leave of some official. He
had been already requested to sign a letter of
indemnity for Mr. Elias' safety, which had, as a
matter of course, been declined, and the closing of
the gate was intended as a species of pressure. He
outmanoeuvred the officials by ordering his Kakh-
yens to wait till the gate should be opened, while he
took his departure by another gate. They rejoined
him outside the town, and all arrived without further
difficulty at Paloungto. Here the nat sacrifice duly
itook place, and a bullock, pig, and fowls were
slaughtered, a leg of the first victim being presented
to Cooke, which is a mark of honour only paid to
chiefs. A grand palaver was held in the tsawbwa's
house, the occasion being a dispute between the chief
and one of his villages, the people of which had
stolen a bullock from him. To atone for this insult,
a fine of ten bullocks was imposed, to be paid in five
yearly instalments. At least fifty Kakhyens were
present, and sheroo and samshu were liberally sup-
plied, but the assemblage was quiet and orderly. At
midnight the English guest expressed a wish to
sleep, and all at once departed, while the chief

iU REPULSE OF MISSION.

produced for his accommodation two carpets which
he had recently received as a present from the
Residency. The chief explained the diificulties which
had arisen between himself and the leader of the
mission at Sawady, by the fact that he had only
agreed to convoy the British mission, and would
not admit a Burmese guard into his country. It is
certain that no mention of the passage of a Burmese
guard had been made during the previous negotia-
tions by Mr. Elias, who was at that time unaware of
and subsequently opposed to the plan. The tsawbwa
complained bitterly of the humiliation he had
experienced in being obliged to squat on the
ground before the Burmese officials, and that he
had not had any opportunity of a private interview
with the English officers. It is very much to his
credit that he asked for nothing beyond what he had
been promised ; and his conduct and that of his
brother, the chief of Wurrabone, and their subjects,
showed conclusively that, so far as the Kakhyens
are concerned, this route to Muangmow was unat-
tended by any real difficulty.

On the day after our arrival at Bhamo, our
anxiety concerning the position of Elias was relieved
by the arrival of two Lenna Kakhyens, bringing
letters from him dated from Kwotloon on the 24th.
The messengers had thus accomplished their journey
in two days, and were immediately sent back with
letters. As it was probable that Mr. Elias would
have received the letter of recall, his speedy arrival

ELIAS AT MUANGMOW. 445

was looked for ; and all our suspense on his account
was ended on March 2nd, when he made his appear-
ance, escorted by the Wurrabone pawmine.

Subsequently to Captain Cooke's departure from
Muangmow, Li-sieh-tai, whose conduct and character
had made a rather favourable impression on Mr. Elias,
held out hopes that he might be able to arrange for
his safe conduct to Sehfan. The tsawbwa, how-
ever, was more explicit, and assured him that it was
impossible in the then state of the country. Sub-
sequent observations, and refusals of access to the
tsawbwa, on various pretexts, convinced Elias that
there was no intention to let him proceed, j Tie there-
fore bade farewell to Li, who accepted a rifle as a
parting present, and returned to Kwotloon, to which
place two Shans brought the news of the attack on
our camp. | The aged tsawbwa of Wurrabone, with his
pawmines^ went to Kwotloon to escort him safely to
Mansay ; and leaving Kwotloon on the 28th, they
accomplished the journey of sixty-four miles by a
direct road, avoiding Paloungto, in two days. While
passing Peetah, the Lennas evinced some apprehen-
sion that the Kara Kakhyens, who had previously
grumbled about the smallness of their gains, might
prove troublesome ; but the party passed through
without opposition.

j It is impossible to avoid the reflection that, if
the murder of Margary and the attack on our camp
had been directed by Li-sieh-tai, he could easily, by
direct or indirect means, have disposed of his visitor ;

446 EEPULSE OF MISSION.

and his civility and consideration for his safety
/ by not allowing him to advance are surely to he
esteemed a strong argument in his favour. £Among
I the Lenna Kakhyens the opinion was freely ex-
1 pressed that the opposition was due to secret tactics
on the part of the Burmese^, That this idea pre-
vailed among the hill tribes to the south of the
Tapeng was further confirmed by Father Lecomte,
who returned from a visit to Mattin at the time of
our arrival at Bhamd. When he and his companion
reached the first Kakhyen village, there was an
incessant discharge of fire-arms, and the villagers
appeared unwilling to receive them, until they
assured them that they were not Englishmen.
Their sacerdotal garb assisted to make the Kakh-
yens believe that they belonged to a different race,
and they were then entertained, but informed that
at first the people had said, " If these are kalas, let
us kill them, because the king of^ Burma does not
wish them to enter our hills." (_^The tsawbwa of
Mattin, whose intelligence and general knowledge
impressed them strongly, told them that there was
no chance of the mission reaching Yunnan. He
further remarked that the Kakhyens were glad to
see the Englishmen at Bhamo ; ibut " what will
\ become of the trade and occupation of our people
■V if they make a railway from Bhamo to Momien ?J^i
This feeling, both among the Chinese merchants
and the Kakhyens, especially those under Burmese
and Chinese influence, that our gain in the wav of

A FORGED LETTER. 447

open trade would prove their loss, must be largely
taken into account in estimating tlie difficulties of
progress.

The opinion that the king of Burma was hostile
to the mission owed its origin to a forged royal
letter, directing the Kakhyens to oppose us. A copy
of this letter was obtained by the Resident, and
there was no doubt that it had been widely circu-
lated. The forgery was brought home to no less
a personage than the chief phoongyee, or saya, of
Kaungtoung. The Woon of Shuaygoo, whose dis-
trict includes both Kaungtoung and Sawady, it
will be recollected, refused any co operation with
his colleague at Bhamo. I personally experienced
his hostility to foreigners during a boat voyage
throiigh the second defile on the return from Bhamo,
when he not only refused a guide, but sent instructions
to the headmen of his villages to forbid my landing.
He has been since deprived of office, and the actual
perpetrator of the forgery has been tried by the
ecclesiastical court of Mandalay, degraded from
the priesthood, and sentenced to carry one hundred
loads of water into the khyoung of the court. The
sentence ran as follows : — " In the case of rahans,
if in a matter not ordered by our most excellent
Lord Buddha, one represents it to be a sacred order,
he is guilty of dakka-apat. In the case .of laymen,
if a person represents that which is not a royal order
as a royal order, the customary punishment is to
widen his mouth (by slitting the cheeks) or to cut

W -~h-

448 EEPULSE OF MISSION.

off his hand. [Ytl the present instance, Shin Thula
Tsara, the^aya of Kaungtoiing, without orders from
an ecclesiastical court, by making that which was not
a royal order into a royal order, was the one who
ordered the obstruction of the British mission proceed-
ing to China. ! He accordingly has been deprived of
his office of bishop ; but as a rahan and a soldier of
the Buddhist religion is not punishable according to
the civil law, the decision, in accordance with the rule
given in the Wini, made by the assembled members
of the ecclesiastical court, is — Let him be punished
by carrying one hundred loads of water," &c. This
isolated case of hostility jan the part of Burmese
officials in nowise detracts from the good opinion
which the zeal and energy displayed in our service
by the Bhamo authorities earned from all who
witnessed and profited by them.

Upon our safe arrival, the Woon sent letters to the
governor of Momien to inquire into the causes of the
opposition offered to the progress of the mission and
the murder of one of its officers. The report that
Chinese -troops were stiU marching in great numbers
from Momien to Manwyne was also the subject of
inquiry. ^He did not disguise his fear that the
Chinese would attack BhamS; and the preparation
of bricks for the construction of a wall around the
town, which had already begun, was actively pressed
forward.J

During our stay, all opportunities for ascertain-
ing, if possible, the exact details of the murder

REPORTS REGARDING MARGARY. 449

of Mr. Margary and his followers were eagerly
availed of by us ; but beyond the melancboly fact,
though various reports were current, it was impos-
sible to collect evidence either as to the perpetrators
or the circumstances of this atrocious crime. |_It
seemed, however, agreed that there were Chinese
officials and troops at Manwyne. The muleteers and
others who accompanied Margary had^ fled for their
lives into the jungle. One reported that he had been
examined as a friend of the foreigners, and had
escaped by asserting that he was a resident of the
district, and not connected with us. The most
trustworthy account was furnished by two of the
six Burmese who were at Manwyne, and whom the
Chinese officials threatened to kill. The most in-
telligent one stated that he saw Margary walking
about the town, sometimes with Chinese and at
other times alone. On the morning of the 21st, the
very day of his murder, some men invited him to
go and see a hot spring, and when he was outside
the town, they knocked him off his pony and speared
him. His writer and messenger and two servants
were killed in the khyoung. This was only hearsay^
and no one had seen the heads of the victims, which
were reported to have been affixed to the town wall,
or, according to another account, to have been sent
to Momien. Our informants had not seen any
troops, though one had heard them marching at
night while he w^as concealed in the jungle.

Later accounts stated that the Chinese officers

2 G

n

450 EEPULSE OF MISSION.

had been ordered back in disgrace to Momien,
because they had allowed our party to escape, and
that the Shans were at feud with the Chinese, as the
'' phoongyee complained that the khyoung' had been
desecrated by blood-shedding.

It is to be hoped that the commission of inquiry
now traversing China from the east will be able to
elicit the facts, and to determine to whom the guilt
of the barbarous murder of a British officer attaches.
It is in no wise fitting to prejudge the case. Whether
local marauders or the Momien officials, .actuated
either by prejudice against foreigners or commercial
jealousy, or, it may be, a groundless fear of encou-
ragement to be derived by the Mahommedans from
the presence of the English, violated the rights
guaranteed by treaty and the express commands
of an imperial passport, remains to be seen. It is
possible that the authority of the viceroy of Yunnan
was prostituted to oppose the entrance of the hated
foreigners ; and the recent reports seem to indicate
a determination in the Yunnan yamens at least to
screen the offendersT]

For my own part, I desire to record the deep
sympathy entertained for those who mourn for
the loss of one so beloved.. Our brief intercourse
lasted long enough to win for him the esteem and
cordial friendship of us all ; and while we deplored
the early loss to his country of the services of one
whose past career and talents promised to raise him
to high distinction, we lamented his untimely death

RETURN OF ELIAS. 451

as tkat of an old and dear friend. To his family and
those who looked forward to share his future, the
loss is irreparable ; and the punishment of the guilty
will bring but little consolation, [But he may be
said to have bequeathed it as a public duty — made
more imperative by its being the most fitting tribute
to his worth — to establish in those border lands the
right of Englishmen to travel unmolested. "^

The death of this young oflScer and the repulse of
the British mission from the frontiers of China have
left a marked impression on the minds of the various
populations. The question of opening trade routes
may be left to the future. Overland commerce
cannot be forced, or even stimulated, by extraor-
dinary efforts. The existence of a channel of trade
between Burma and China has been demonstrated ; "^
and when the restored prosperity of Yunnan shall
create a demand, the steamers of the Burmese rivers
and the entrepot of Bhamo, where the British flag
assures protection to British interests, are ready to
furnish the supply. For the present, above and
beyond the task of avenging his murder on the
guilty, of whatever rank they may be, the name
of Augustus Ratmond Maegart will be most fitly
honoured by a party of his countrymen formally
asserting the right to traverse, in honour and safety,
the route between Burma and China, which he was
the first Englishman to explore, and which should be
maintained as his most durable monument.

By the arrival of Mr. Ney Elias, our chief cause

2 G 2

452 EEPTJLSE OF mSSION.

of anxiety was removed, and wlien on Marcli 3rd
the boats arrived from Tsitkaw freighted with the
baggage and stores which successive officials had
been despatched to expedite, there was no further
necessity for delay at Bhamo. Everything, with very
trivial exceptions, was delivered safely according to
the inventory which had been taken at Woonkah,
and the tsawbwa of that place received his promised
reward of £1000, which undoubtedly made him the
richest chief among the northern Kakhyens.

As the steamer from Mandalay had not arrived,
I hired a native boat, in order to make a leisurely
inspection of the second defile, and dropped down
to Sawady. The Woon of BhamS had informed me
that there was danger to be apprehended from the
Kakhyens on the hills of the defile, and advised an
application to the Slmaygoo Woon, who was at
Sawady, for a guide. After some delay, the Woon
received me, but most ungraciously, and declined
the request, as the Bhamo Woon had sent no official
letter on the subject. Not content with this refusal,
he sent a boat with soldiers to convey orders to the
villages not to allow me to remain for the night, the
result of which we experienced at a place called
Thembaw-eng, where the headman came down and
compelled us to leave our moorings. We were not
assailed by Kakh3'ens, but had a nocturnal alarm
of a tiger, which the boatmen declared to be not
a real tiger, but the nat of the locality, who was
enraged at their having cut down some branches

MISSION'S EETUEN TO EANGOON. 453

which interfered with my camera, when photograph-
ing the great chfF. A more disagreeable incident was
a violent storm, almost amounting to a tornado,
which overtook us in the river. The hurricane was
presaged by a most brilliant light seen in the west,
from which quarter the wind soon after burst upon
the river with tremendous fury, lashing its surface
into great waves, while incessant flashes of lightning
lit up the scene, which was one of terrific grandeur.
A pleasing incident of the trip was the arrival of
a boat containing our old friend and patient, the old
tsare-daw-gyee, who had escorted us from Mandalay,
and who had arrived at Bhamo in chains on his way
to Mogoung a few days before. He expressed great
pleasure at seeing me safe, and I congratulated him
on having regained his liberty. This was due to royal
orders brought by an express boat from Mandalay
two days previously. As he intended to halt at
Shuaygoo-myo, he promised to neutralise the malice
of the Woon, by personal instructions to the head-
man, which proved most useful.

The steamer Colonel FytGhe,wi\h the members of the
mission, overtook us at the wooding station of Yuathet
on March 7th, and, after the usual delays caused by
grounding on sandbanks, we reached Mandalay on
the 10th, and found the steamer Yunnan about to start
for Rangoon. We were almost amused to hear the
various and contradictory rumours which had been
flying about this most gossiping of capitals as to
our dangers and escapes. An account of the attack.

454 REPULSE OP MISSION.

as being made by Kakhyens and disaffected Chinese,
had been published in a printed Chinese broadsheet,
which professed to give the most recent and exact
information concerning the mission, a curious illus-
tration of the interest which the subject possessed
for the Chinese traders of Mandalay. The Yunnan
conveyed us to Rangoon, where the welcome of the
Chief Commissioner and the hearty congratulations,
on our safety, of our other friends were not lessened
by our having been compelled to return re infecta,
leaving the task, it is to be hoped, soon and success-
fully to be accomplished by another mission.

APPENDICES.

APPENDIX I.

A Note by Bishop Bigandbt on Burmese Bells.*

Bells are common in Bui'ma, and tlie people of that country are
well acquainted with the art of cast'ng them. Most of the bells
to be seen in the pagodas are of small dimensions, and in shape
differ fi'om those used in Europe. The inferior part is less
widened, and there is a large hole in the centre of the upper part.
No tongue is hung in the interior, but the sound is produced by
striking with a horn of deer or elk the outward surface of the
lower part. No belfry is erected for the bells ; they are fixed on
a piece of timber laid horizontally, and supported by two posts, at
such a height that the inferior part of the bell is raised about five
feet from the ground.

The largest specimens of Burmese art are the two bells to be
seen, the one at the large pagoda of Eangoon, called Shuay Dagon,
and the other at Mengoon.

The first was cast in 1842, as recorded by the inscription on it.
The weight of metal is 9i,682 lbs. ; its height, 9^ cubits ; its
diameter, 5 cubits ; its thickness, 15 inches. But during the
process of melting, the well-disposed threw in copper, silver, and
gold in great quantities. It is supposed that in this way the weight
was increased one-fourth.

The bell of Mengoon was cast at the beginning of this century.
In shape and form it resembles our bells of Europe. It is probable
that some foreigner residing at Ava suggested the idea of givingv
such an unusual form to that monumental bell. Its height is

* From ' The Legend of the Burmese Buddha,' by Bishop Bigandet,
Kangoon.

456 APPENDICES.

18 feet, besides 7 feet for hanging apparatus. It is 17 feet
in diameter, and from 10 to 12 inches in thickness. Its weight
is supposed to exceed 200,000 lbs.* In the interior, large
yellowish and greyish streaks indicate that considerable quantities
of gold and silver have been thrown in during the process of melt-
ing. No idea can at present be had of the power of the sound, as
its enormous weight has caused the pillars that support it partially
to give way. To prevent a final disaster, the orifice of the bell has
been made to rest on large teak posts sunk in the ground and
rising about 3 feet above it.

APPENDIX II.

Translation of a Chinese Document, which purports to account
FOR THE Origin and Establishment of Mahomsiedanism in
China. By Colonel Sladen.

The chief queen of the emperor Tanwan adopted a child and
called him Anlaushan. In time the child developed into a man of
extraordinary comeliness and wonderful intellect.

The queen was enamoured ; and the adopted son became her
paramour.

Anlaushan soon rose to distinction. His abilities were of the
highest order, and raised him at once to fame and influence. The
queenly passion was not disclosed ; but suspicion had been
sufiiciently roused to make it prudent on the queen's part to get
rid of her lover, and defeat all signs of illicit intercourse.

Anlaushan was accordingly accused of being privy to a con-
spiracy to dethrone the emperor. The influence of the queen
prevailed to obtain a conviction, and her favouiite was banished
from the royal capital.

But the injustice of his accusation and a sense of wrongs roused
Anlaushan to action, and induced him to become in reality a
leader of rebellion. He lost no time in collecting a large force
with which he was able to make head against the government, and
successfully encounter the troops of the emperor. In time he had

* It will be observed that these figures are in excess of tliose given by
Colonel Yule, which I have quoted in the text.

APPENDIX III. 457

approached within a league of the capital, and city and palace
were alike threatened.

The emperor Tanwan in this emergency adopted the suggestion
of his vizier Kanseree, and despatched a mission to Seeyoogwet,
and implored foreign aid. A force of three thousand men was
sent, under the command and guidance of three learned teachers,
who arrived in due time at Tanwan's capital. By their aid
Anlaushan was defeated and eventually captured.

The rebellion was at an end, and the foreign contingent left
China, to return to its own country. Here, however, a difficulty
arose. Their rulers refused them admittance, and alleged as a
cause for doing so, that it was against the constitution of the
country to receive back men who had come into contact with
pork-eating infidels. They had horded in fact with pigs and
infidels, and could no longer be regarded as unpolluted subjects,
or as fit members of a society which held pork in religious
detestation.

They returned therefore to China, and became permanent
sojourners in a foreign land. They are the original stock from
which Mahomraedanism has sprung up in China, in various com-
munities, and under several denominations, &c.

APPENDIX III.

List of Nats, or DErriES, worshipped by the Kakhyens ; obtained

FROM Native Sources by Colonel Sladen.

1. Ngka nat ; Burmese, Me nat ; Eiig. God of Earth. — He is
worshipped on the occasions of digging gold or other mines, found-
ing a village, and sowing paddy. The offerings made are bufialo,
hogs, fowls, dried fish, and liquor (sheroo). The worship must be
celebrated by the entire population of a village, and for four days
next ensuing no work nor journey must be undertaken.

2. Mooshen or Mojitwa nat or nats. These are husband and
wife, called respectively Sharooica and Modai-pronga. Burmese,
Thahja-meng ; Eng. the King of Gods. — Worshipped on the occa-
sion of clearing fields, cutting rice crop, and founding a village.
The offerings made are a young male buffalo or bull, hog, cocks.

458 APPENDICES.

eggs, rice, dried fish, aud liquor, with gifts of a silk putzo and
women's ornaments. The worship is celebrated by the tsawbwa
and the whole village, and cannot be offered by a private person.

3. Numsyang or Noon-sJian nat or nats ; Burmese, Yuwa-saun ;
Eng. the Village Guardians. — These are male and female, the
eastern portion of a village being under the custody of the former,
and the western of the latter. They are worshipped twice a year ;
also on the occasion of any epidemic or of war, and at the founda-
tion of a new village. The oflerings are as already mentioned, but
the victims must be male, and the worship is celebrated by the
tsawbwa with all his people.

4. Chan nat ; Burmese, Me nat ; Eng. the Sun. — Also two^
husband and wife. Worshipped by chief aud people at (he time
of clearing fields and harvesting. The ofierings are red fowls,
boiled rice, eggs, dried fish, bread, and liquor, with gifts of one
gong, a red putzo, and masculine ornaments.

5. Soda nat ; Burmese, La nat ; Eng. the Moon. — Worshipped
as foregoing. Offerings, boiled rice, dried flesh and fish, eggs, and
four bamboo flasks of liquor, with gifts of feminine clothes and
ornaments and a silver pipe stem.

6. Ningfoi, or Pomp-woi ; Burmese, Le nat ; Eng. the Air. —
Worshipped in sickness, time of war, when going on a trading
journey, clearing fields, or founding a village. Offerings, buffalo,
cow, hog, fowls, &c., with gifts of putzo, gong, and silver.

7. Ning-gon-wa nat ; Bui'mese, Byama nat ; the Hiiidoo Brahma.
— Eegarded as the " chief tsawbwa after death." Offerings, bread ;
gifts, flowers, silk putzo, and eight bamboos of liquor.

8. Boom nat ; Burmese, Toung nat ; Eng. the God of Mountains.
— Worshipped in sickness, and when clearing fields or founding
a village. Offerings, buffalo, cow, hog, &a.

9. Mum Siin ; Burmese, Soha nat ; Eng. the Eice God. — Wor-
shipped for growth of rice crop, and sometimes in sickness. Offer-
ings the same as to the Moon.

10. Chegah nat ; Burmese, Lay-Jchyan-saun ; the Field and
Garden Keeper. — Invoked to protect them. Offerings of buffalo and
cows, of which the skin is burued and the flesh boiled. Propitiated
also with offerings of tobacco. Said to inflict disease in the skin
and eyes.

11. Waroom nat; Burmese, Ana nat; Eng. the God of Disease.

APPENDIX III. 459

— Worshipped during sickness, chiefly smallpox and cholera.
Offerings, buffalo, &c.

12. Khaklioo Kha-nam ; Burmese, Yei nat; the God of Water.
— Worshipped on the occasion of any one being drowned ;
sometimes in sickness. Offerings, two buffaloes, two hogs, two
fowls, &c.

13. Tsethoung nat ; Burmese, Tou nat ; Eng. the God of Forest.
— Worshipped on the occasion of founding a village, clearing fields,
war, and sickness. Offerings, a hog, a goat, &c.

14. Ngklwo nat ; Burmese, Aing nat ; the Home God, or God
of Ancestors. — Worshipped in all cases of sickness. Any one
wishing to migrate to another state hangs a bamboo of liquor on a
post and invokes him. New rice is also offered him at harvest.
Offerings, buffalo, cow, &c.

15. Ndong nsiA, ; Burmese, Aing-feen nat; the God of the Out-
side of Home. — Believed to reside in the house, but worshipped
outside if one of the family is killed in war, or by drowning, fall
from a tree, or the bite of a tiger or snake. Offerings, buffalo,
&c.

16. Mo nat ; Burmese, the same ; the God of Heaven. — Four
brothers, viz. Moung-lam, Zhreenwan, Seen-lap, Mou-sheeing,
and a sister, Boungf woy, the Thunder Goddess. A very high god
of the Kakhyens, worshipped by those who desire profit in trade,
victory in war, or children ; also on occasion of founding a village
and of sickness. Sacrifice, buffalo, cow, hog, and fowls — all which
must be white — dried fish, eggs, and liquor.

17. Lessa nat; Burmese, Tesey, or Tuhsai; the ghost of a
person murdered by the dah, supposed to cause disease. — Offerings,
buffalo, &c., and boiled rice, curry, liquor, exposed in baskets.

18. Needang nat; Burmese, Meima Tesey; the compound
spectre of mother and unborn child.

19. Eau-saing uat ; Burmese, Taroup nat ; the Chinese god.

20. Kliolihamla ; Burmese, Sing-buring ; the last king.

9.1. Phee Lomoon ; Burmese, Soung ; the witch, believed to be
able to destroy life.

460 APPENDICES.

APPENDIX IV.

Note by Professor Douglas on the Deities in the Shan Temple

AT TSAYCOW, IN THE HoTHA VaLLEY.

The objects of worship contained within the walls of this
temple are well worthy of note, more especially as they illustrate
the curious manner in which the deities representing the various
faiths of Chinamen — Buddhist, Taou'st, and Gonfucianist — are
often intermingled. As the subjoined list shows, Buddhas,
Buddhisatwas, Devas, Arhans, and Buddhist patriarchs, stand side
by side with " True Men," " Msssters of Heaven," and princes of
the Taou'st faith ; while Confucianism finds a solitary repre-
sentative in .the Deva of Scholarly (i.e. Confucianist) Youths
(No. 15). This grouping together of the deities of the " Three
Religions" might appear strange to those unacquainted with the
phases which these faiths have assumed in China. From the
first, however, Taouism was but another form of Buddhism, and
the gradual weakening, which has been going on for centuries, of
the distinctive doctrines of the two sects, together with the intro-
duction of purely Chinese superstition into both, have tended to
obliterate the uncertain line of demarcation which originally
separated the one from the other. Indeed, the power of absorp-
tion, whether of races or of creeds, which so peculiarly belongs to
the Chinese, has served to fuse together the dogmas of Buddha and
Lao-tsze with the teachings of Confucius to such an extent that, as
far as the masses are concerned, they may be treated as the founda-
tions of a common faith, and the objects set apart by each for wor-
ship are to be found not unfrequantly standing in positions of
equal honour— as in the present instance — in the national
Pantheons.

The following is a list of the eighty deities who are enthroned
in the temple : —

1. Yun lai tseih teen = the Deva of the Gathering Clouds.

2. Jib kung tsun teen = the honoured Deva of the Sun Palace.

3. To wan tsun teen = Vaishravana.

4. Keen-na-lo Wang tsun teen = the honoured Deva, the King
of the Kinnaras.

APPENDIX IV; 461

5. Ta heh tsun teen = Maha Kala.

6. Sing kang tsun teen = the honoured Deva of the Star Palace.

7. Tae suy tsun teen = the Chinese Cybele.

8. Luy shin tsun teen = the honoured Deva of Thunder.

9. Hoo-kea-lo Wang tsun teen = the honoured Deva, King Hoo-
kea-lo.

10. Po-kieh-lo-tsew (?) tsun teen = the honoured Deva Po-kieh-
lo-tsew (?) (Bhaskaravarna ?).

11. Same as No. 8.

12. Luh chai pa Wang tsun teen = the honoured Deva, the
Eighth King of the Six Fasts (?).

13. Hing ping kwei Wang tsun teen = the honoured Deva, the
Disease-transmitting Demon King.

14. Hwa-kwang-meaou-keih-tseang tsun teen = Manjusri.

15. Joo tung te teen = the Imperial Deva of Scholarly (i.e. Con-
fucianist) Youths.

16. San chi tsun teen = the Glory-scattering honoured Deva.

17. Mi-tseih-kin-kang tsun teen = the Vajra-holding honoured
Deva.

18. Mo -le-che tsun teen = Maritchi.

19. Sa chin jin = the True Man Sa (Taouist).

20. K6 chin jin = the True Man K6 (Hang?) (Taouist).

21. Yuh te = the Jade Euler (Taouist).

22. Chang Teen sze = the Master of Heaven Chang (Taou-ling ?)
(Taouist).

23. Heu chin keun = the Prince Hen (Taouist).

24. Ho-le-te-nan tsim = Hariti.

25. Yen-lo te teen = Yama.

26. Kwei tsze moo teen = the Demon Terrestrial Deva.

27. Poo-te-shoo teen = Buddhisatwa Druma.

28. Keen-lo te teen = the Firm and Strong Terrestrial Deva.

29. Mo-he-lo tsun teen = Mahesh vara.

30. Kwang miih tsun teen = Virupaksha.

31. Tsang chang tsun teen = Virudhaka.

32. Chih kwo tsun teen = Dhritarashtra.

33. Same as No. 8.

34. Kwan shing te teen = the God of War.

35. Te shih tsun teen = Buddha.

36. Ta fan tsun teen = Brahma.

462 APPENDICES.

37. Tszo tung te teen = the Deva of the Tsze and Tung Trees.

38. Ta peen teen = the Great Deva of Disputation.

39. Kung tih tsun teen = the honoured Deva of Good Works.

40. Hoo fa tsun teen = Dhamiarakshita.

41. Heuen teen shang te = The Sombre-Heaven God.

42. Pin-too-lo tsun-chay = the Arhan* Pin-too-lo.

43. Choo-eha-pwan-to-kea tsun-chay = the Arhan Choo-cha-pwan-
to-kea.

44. Fa-na-po-sze tsun-chay = the Arhan Pa-na-po-szc.

45. Na-kea-mow-na-lo tsun-chay = the Arhan Na-kea-mow-na-lo-

46. Pwan-to-kea tsun-chay = the Arhan Pwan-to-kea.

47. Ea-chay-fiih-to-lo tsun-chay = the Arhan Fa-chay-fuh-to-lo.

48. Po to-lo tsun-chay = the Arhan Po-to-lo.

49. Soo-pin-to tsun-chay = the Arhan Soo-pin-to.

50. Peen-no-kea-fa-tso tsun-chay = the Arhan Peen-n6-kea-fa-tsi.

51. Kan heen = the Watching-the-Righteous (Deity).

52. Kea-che = Kasyapa.

53. Chay-no Fiih = thc Protecting and Answering Buddlia.

54. Shuh-kea Fuh = Sakya Buddha.

55. Pe-loo Fiih = Vairoshana.

56. A-nan = Ananda.

57. Wan choo = Mangusri.

58. Pin-tow-loo-to-chay tsun-chay = the Arhan Pin-tow-loo-to-
chay.

59. Kea-kea-po-tih-to tsun-chay = the Arhan Kea-kea-po-tih to.

60. N6-keu-lo tsun chay = the Arhan No-keu-lo

61. Kea-le-kea tsun-chay = the Arhan Kalika.

62. Shoo-foo-kea tsun-chay = the Arhan Shoo-foo-kea.

63. Lo-hoo-lo tsun-chay = the Arhan Lo-hoo-lo.

64. Yin-kee-to tsun-chay = the Arhan Yin-kce-to.

65. A-she-to tsun-chay = tho Arhan Asita.

66. King-yew tsun-chay = the Arhan King-yew.

67. Ta-ma tsoo sze = the Patriarch Dharma.

68. Kea-lan Poo-sa = the Samghdrdma Buddlia.

69. Same as No. 41.

70. Kwan-yin Poo-sa = Avalokitcs'vara.

" Arhan, Professor Douglas informs me, has the same significition as
the terra rahan, used hy me in the text. — J. A.

APPENDIX IV. 463

71. Wan-chang te keun = the God of Literature.

72. Hoo-fa Wei-to = Veda, the Defender of the Law.

73. Tsee yin Fuh= A.mita.

74. Same as No. 3.

75. Same as No. 30.

76. Same as No. 32.

77. Same as No. 31.

78. Has no name attached.

79. Shwuy ho kin kang = the Water and-Fire-Varja-(throwing
Deity) [an impossible title].

464

APPENDICES.

APPENDIX V.

VOOABULAET.

English.

Kakhyen.

Shan.

One ..

■Two

Three

Pour

Five

Six ..

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten ..

Eleven

Twenty

Twenty-one

One hundred

One thousand

I ..

We ..

You..

He ..

Of me

Of us

Of you

Of him

Of them

Above

Below

Far ..

Near

Alone

Inside

Behind

Before

North

South

East

West

Best..

Bad ..

Worse

Langai ..

Lakong

Masoam

Malee ..

Mangah

Kroo

Sanet ..

Matsat ..

Tsikoo ..

Shi

Shilangai

Koon ..

Koonlangai

Latsa . .

Hainglangai

Ngai ..

Antaing

Nongtaing

Torawah

Ngaihome

Antainglo

Nangtainglo

Ke3rraieh

Kangtengraieh

Lata

La woo ..

Nowtsanai

Aneesharengai

Nanaisha

Knjai .
Inkajah

Loong
Song

Si

Ha .. .

Hoak ..

Saet

Pyet .. .

Kow

Sheep . .

Sheepate

Sow

Sowate ..

Packlaing .

Hainglaing .

Kow

Mowshoe

How

Mung ..

Kowlai..

Howhalai

Mowsoo

Hongmyoon

Myonhowlai

Kaneh ..

Kantow

Kaiyow

Cowalai

Tonlai ..

Kaneu ..

Kantow

Wanoak

Wantoak

Leesubinah

Yunglee

APPENDIX V.

465

APPENDIX V.

VoOABtJLAKT.

Hotha Shan.

Ta .. ..

S6uk ..

Soom

Mee

Ngwa

Ho.. ..

Huit

Het

Kaow

Takkhay

Khayta..

Sow

Sowta

Tabac ..

Tahaing

Ngaw

Ngawtookay

Kewtakah

Mong ..

Attaw

Loongbaw

Vaylai

Neenay

Notah

Ahhow

Noongbah
Numram

Hobah

Oobali

Meetope

Neekcoam

Soobudaykhaybaw

Makhay

Highmakhay . .

Leesaw.

Ti.. ..
Hnuit . .

Sa.. ..
Li.. ..
Ngaw . .
Chaw . .
Tshe ..
Hay ..
Koo
Tsi

Tsili ..
Meetzee
Meetzeeti
Teengha
Titoo ...
Nga ..
Ngaeuh

Khanasbee ..
Mcekhya

Oorah

Tialah

Nwaday

Nagwah

Kanashee

Jugusbee

Meetloakhew

Meegoakhew

Wadashee ..

Godasbee

Loosoometsigbaw

Magee

Poloung.

Lay.

Eh,

Ooay.

Pone.

Pohn.

Taw.

Ta.

Poo.

Teen.

Kew.

Kewlay.

Bhkew.

Ehkewlay.

Oobooyaw.

Oohaing.

Ow.

Nuibey.

Ee.

Peh.

Kiggo.

Kirroi.

Loong.

Puloang.

Mowloutsay.

Kaffan.

Howlaybonow.

Howlaiow.

Keyko.

Keyroi.

r<eygo.

Makkayroi.

Tsika.

Putzee.

H

466

APPENDICES.

A''O0ABUIjAET.

Bnorlish.

Worst
High
Higher
Highest

Low
False
Fine
True
Thin
Fat ..
Thick
Oily-
Pretty

Ugly.

Beautiful

Clean

Dirty

Dusty

Cheap

Dear

Eich

Poor

Old ..

Young

Tall..

Little

Small

Big ..

Tight

Wide

Close

Painful

Pleasant

Eed ..

Yellow

Green

Blue

Orange

Black

White

Hand

Kakhyen.

Toomsa inkajah
Tsawah

Lata

Nemai ..
Nangmasonai
Tsomai ..
Eaiai . .
Kasherai
Kubai . .
Tatday..
Toesa . .
Tsomai

Tsomai
Tsomai
Shoeshakai

Matzanneh
Soneh . .
Matzaneh
Toonglasa
Kacheeai
Sawai . .
Indehkacheeai
Kacheecheeai
Kubai ..
Teetai ..
Koocabai
Meesa . .
Matzeeai

Khvenai
Somai ..
Chitai . .
Chitai . .

Changai
Prongai
Ijata

Shan.

Moataykhew
Ansoong
Aykhera soongsa

Tumalai
Monlonlai

Lonlai ..
Yongmai
Peaeh ..
Lalai . .
Hackaylai
Hanglilai

Hanglilai

Senshitnai

Hangwheylai

Mouwai
Paneh ..
Me-eh ..
Panyon
Tonalai
Onyou ..
Soongai
Onzalai
Onzeesee
Yanalai
Kapai ..
Quangai
Kowai ..
Sipai . .

Aneng ..
Anaing . .
Anhew ..
Anpyah

Anam .
Angpuck
Mew ..

APPENDIX V.

467

VOOABULAKT.

Hotha Shan.

Higlimakbayaw . .
Mahanglai
Soobudaymalianglai
Soobudayma-hanglai-

baw
MaMawboonlai

Manhay

Tomelai

Peybaw

Hyamlai

Powlai

Kanlai

Kokklai

Tomelai

Tomebaw

Peubaw

Teeetbaw

Soodah

Polai

Kolai

Cbodo

Panlai

Mungsaw

Tboay

Mangbah

Asaw

Moonmoonsaw

Khuybaw

Shinglai

Quanglabaw ..

Nayga^sabaw

Atoohenlai

Kneelawkaybaw . .

Omnab

Alooin

Akkew

Amyaub
Aloongasaw . .

Annaw

Appew

Taw

Leesaw.

Oumamagee

Moodab

Akkeymo

Kula .. ..
Mungavv
Byeedab
Gbooleeaw . .
BaUab ..
Tsuddab
Guadab
Kbuddab
Bbeda . .
Mabyee
Bbeda . .
Pbaw ..
Neemugboondab
Sbenggew . .
Noodab
Kaddab
Tsobo .. ..
Saddab ..
Tsomaw
Lanew ..
Moakkaw
Wablaneu . .
Kunurraw
Woodaw
Tsodab.. ..
Haydaw
Tbyeedaw ..
Goodoonnuddab
Teeanaw
Yeenee ..
Yeesbee
Yeneetshee . .
Lasay ..
Attew . .
Yeenab
Yeepoo . .
Lapab . .

Polouug.

Putzee.

Ko.

Kokakai.

Hoakmureemurra.

Quoikaroi.
Owmow.
Tseab.
Hawboi.

Kalana.

Nakakoi.

Kaiaw.

Tsi.

Patzee.

Tsikaw.

Lweebaw.

Higbai.

Peevunay.

Gnaw.

Anpan.

Takkaw.

Taheelay.

Onyon-haw.

Konou.

Konl ay-lay.

Langbaw.

Pakkaw.

Loomhaw.

Cbambaw.

Toeowsayowlow.

Kbyenbaw.

Yow.

Eela.

Eevong.

Lenay.

Quonlaylay.

Eewong.

Eelooee.

Tai.

2 H 2

468

APPENDICES.

VOOABULAET.

English.

root

Nose

Eye ..

Mouth

Tooth .

Ear .. .

Hair

Head

Tongue

Belly

Eock

Iron . .

Gold

Silver

Copper

Lead

Tin .. .

Brass

Earth

Father .

Mother .

Brother .

Sister

Man ..

Woman .

Wife

Child

Son .. .

Daughter

Slave

Cultivator

Shepherd

Hunter ..

God.. ..

Devil

Sun .. ..

Moon

Star .. ..

Fire..

Water ..

House

Horse

Kakhyen.

Lagong kheytai
Indee . .
Me .. ..
lucoop ..
Wa ....
Na .. ..
Karah ..
Pong .. ..
Shinglet
Khan .. ..
Shemah
Phee .. ..
Tsa .. ..
Comprong . .
Makree
Masoo ..
Pheyprong ..
Makree
Kah .. ..
Kowah ..
Gnoo ..
Apoo ..
Mongsow
Chingpaw ,.
Noom ..
Mashanoom ..
Maug ..
Kashah

Mawhonkashah
Kashahpyeelai
Toangnaiai ..
Peinamremai
Mounwhomai
Shingrawah ..
Nateahai
San

Ladah ..
Lagree

Wan

Intzin ..

Indah

Comerang

Shan.

Ting ..

Hunglan

Waydah

Soap

Shew ..

Mayloho

Hoonhow

Ho .. ..

Lin

Tong .. ..

Lung ..

Leh .. ..

Hum

Goom . .

Tong .. ..

Chun .. ..

Laypuck

Tonglung

Lunglean

Fsw .. ..

Ma .. ..

Tsailoong

Nongsow

Khoon ..

Pahying

Meh .. ..

Laon

Look ..

Looksow

Loogyonow ..

Toangla

Sowpalingpeh

Sowmonso . .

Sowpara

Peahighloong

Wan .. ..

Lhun ,.

Laow ..

Phai .. ..

Nam ..

Huhn .. ..

Mah .. ..

APPENDIX V.

469

VoCABULABY.

Hotha Shan.

Hkay ..

Nayhong

Knoydzee

Myoot ..

Khoway

Neeshaw

Oo .. ..

Owgong

Whaw . .

Oondow ..

Wholoong

Shan

Say ..

Noway ..

Toangwah

Keway . .

Shaaphew

Tungpur

Mo.. ..

Apaw

Aggah ..

Among ..

Ham.

Chow

Inggnaw

Aymaw ..

Tsoee . .

Tsalooalisa

Eengnawsa

Ehyun ..

Muso

Oorah . .

Tam

Poee

Pulaw ..

Khew

Poee

Tea

Een

Mang ..

Leesaw.

Khaypah

Nahbay

Myctzoo

Malay ..

Tsitshee

Nabaw ..

Oochay

Oudew ..

Latchay

Hickhay

Kamah

Hhew . .

Keypah

Poo

Gishshee

Tsew ..

Hoepew

Yeguw

Nayhew

Baba

Mama ..

Aiyee . .

Mala ..

Latchoe

Lamui'ah

Lameuh

Lunay ..

Tsobahla

Lameungla

Chobah

Whoo ..
Gnay . .
Neemee
Habackhee
Ooosah ..
Attaw ..
Teghaw
Ghnee ..
Amho ..

Poloung.

Eonaw.

Koorookmoo.

Nigh.

Moay.

Shang.

Choak.

Heuckhyn.

Khyn.

Latah.

Vot.

Yahow.

Tsigh.

Toaug. .

Eeim.

Pachat.
Leckleway.

Katai.

Koon.

Ma.

Peeow.

Peenangow.

Taee.

Yeban.

Peeow.

Yebanay.

Eemeilay,

Eebanay.

Myeh.

Chuprah.

Canom.

Lata.

Takkew.

Law.

Nigh.

Em.

Krep.

Myong.

470

APPENDICES.

Vocabulary.

English.

Cow

Dog

Cat

Cock .. ..

Duck .. ..

Ass

Bird .. ..

Mule

Bamboo . .

Stone

Elephant

Buffalo .. ..

Elea

Louse rbody) ..
Louse (head) ..
Deer
Goat
Sulphur . .

Salt

Sugar

Milk .. ..

Sheep

Turban . .

Jacket

Trousers ..

Woman's Jacket

Woman's Turban

Petticoat ..

Shoes

Earring . .

Eice

Opium

Serpent ..

Frog

Grass

Tree .. ..

Leaf

Wood .. ..

Fish .. ..

Cold .. ..

Warm

Ice

Kakhyen.

Toomsoo
Quhay ..
Ningyoueh
Oorang
Oopyaet

Nhoopyen
Latsayla
Kawah ,.
Loong ..
Maguay
Nga.. ..
Wahkaree
Sakhep . .
Chee ..
Po

Painam
Khan ..
Tsoom .
Tsantang
Tsoo ..

Poonkaw
Polong . .
Teboo ..
Polong . .

Soomboo

Lakan . .

Shat
Yeepyen
Laboo . .
Shoo ..
Nam
Poonsaw
Poonlap
Poon . .
Nga ..
Kaohee , .
Eatetai
Tsin

Shan.

Bow
Mah
Myew ..
Kiephoo
Pyet ..

Loak

Malaw ..

Myeh ..

Heen . .

Tsang ..

Why ..

Mat

Mien ..

How

Pangdai

Pay-yah

E^an ..

Khu ..

Khuwan

Loam

Toe

Khynhoe

Seu ..

Pa

Sou ..

Klynhoe

Shin ..

Whyepteen

Pehwho

How

Phey ..

Moo

Koap

Yah ..

Tonemai

Mowmai

Mytsing

Pa

Kat

Oonai . .

Ghonlam

APPENDIX V.

471

Vocabulary.

Hotha Shan.

Noclioanatsain g
Quhoee ..
Kollaw ..
Capaw . .
Pay .. ..
Mahlee ..
Ghnaw ..
Malaw ..
Chewgen
Leekaw ..
Khyang..
Noloway
Ghlu *.. ..

Twing ,.

Pa

Khanteuk
Khaw

Saow
Nonow ..

Wootoop
Tsay .. ..
Ghlaw .. ..
Benawtsay
Eenaw ootoop
Eenaw tungaw
Khyaj>teen ..
Kneechaw
Tsen .. ..
Yappingyen ..
Mo wee . .
Paw .. ..
Sieaw
Tsidsaing
Skihow ..
Shake
Mushaw
Kamlai ..
Poolai ..

Leesaw.

Poloung.

Auyemah

Annah ..

Urrah . .

Urupah

Ah .. ..

Khyamyeh . .

Nga .. ..

Teemee

Wahmah

Takhee

Hamah

Annaga

Catteuh

Chinutah

Myloo .

Utchee ..

Khang ..

Tsabow

Shantah

Atchee ..

Atchumew . .

Wootew

Bucheu . .

Meekeo

Samen buchee

Samen wootew

Meekyee

Khynee

Knockaw

Dthapoo

Yappay

Who

Oopah ..

Shi .. ..

Shidzee

Tsibeeyah . .

Tsidzee

Ngwa

Gyaddah

Tsaddah

Muckamah.

Sow.

Yewh.

Yehcrow.

Pyet.

Myonglee.

Ngow.

Tolelaw.

Khyang.

Maou.

Chang.

Kha.

Khang.

Oo.

Ahjaw.

Meh.

Khan.

Seh.

Mahmoilooay.

Emboo.

Atchaw.

Kameb.

Kayeup.

Kayeup yebaw.
Kameh yebaw.
Kalang yebaw.
Khypteen.
Paywhoo.
Lakow.
Yapping.
Hhan.

Mat.

Hoi.

Phooan.

Hoi.

Ka.

Kaw.

Myahcaeeai.

472

APPENDICES.

VOOABULAET.

English.

Snow

Earn

Wind

Thunder

Lightning

Sky

Day

Night

Light

Darkness

Cloud

Eiver

HiU

Insect

Heart

Go

Bat

Sit .

Come

Beat

Stand

Lie

Die

CaU

Throw

Drop

Place

Lift

PuU

Smoke

Love

Hate

What is your name ?

How old is this horse ?

I do not know

How far is it to

Sanda ?
It is a journey of one

day

Kakhyen.

Khen ..
Marangto
Umboong
Mahmoomooai
Meeprap
Moo ~ ..
Sheenee
Shenah . .
Shenee ..
Insin . .
Soomoay
Mereeha
Boom ..

Mashin
Samo . .
Shamo ..
Domo ..
Wamo ..
Tookmo
Kotmo ..
Karengmo

Shegah ..

Shedeng

Hatsa . .

Sherah ..

Ta

Kung ..

Loo

Nheyrai

Neimcome

Nung meing gan-
ging sagaieh

Daiee comerang ka-
deh tinglaeh goon

Ngai inchengai ..

Sanda mying kadeh
sanai

Intwey langai toosa

Shan.

Lie

Phoontoak

Loom ..

Phasowai

Phamypai

Bha ..

Khangwan

Khanghum

Phalaing

Lapsing

Moay ..

Lamkew

Loiloo ..

Pieta ..

Hosow ..

Laugda
Mada ..
Tainda ..
Lookda
Einlengda

Ma

Tim

Toak

Teayou

Yong

Teat

Lilt

Hachlai

Hhanhan

Cow mhahow shay
Muang Sanda kai

halow
Lam wan qua ten-

glai

APPENDIX V.

473

VOOABULAEY.

Hotha Shan.

Leesaw.

Poloung.

Mowrowbaw ..

Gkli .. ..

Mowrow

Shapmyng

Annyow

Knee

Tmoot .. ..

Mowbowbaw ..

Mowchootbaw

Hangeen

Kaw

Boom

Kawda

Kneeah

Tayda

Yapda

Ayda

Lawah

Koondab
Tahyoudab ..
Anbedab
Koobawdab . .
Sbaybawdab ..
Gnawsbeubawdab ..
Nawnoilawdab
Cacbencacbaw
Nong day pay cainay

Myang bonebyay
mang laybounay

Ngaw masa ..

Cbanda qubonbay
wenenay

Tanyen sambet tab

Maba ..
Maybee
Mooggoo
Bbyyeb
Kneemeetcbee
Myeemalaw ..
Yeetab ..
Kneeowmab ..
Nayaw ..
Mookoo
Yeegyab
Kneekee
Biddee ..

La

Hatesa ..
Yeeta ..

Kooyay
Law

Tsaylobo yeuk
Takyab
Qnaw ..
Gbo .. ..
Yebbecksbe ..
Nguanab
Kneemabandau

Qnoi.

Koo.

Polong.

La.

Tsungai.

Keisin.

Qneb.

Tsaymawcboak.

Mok.

Embongfie.

Panang.

Hogiovv.

Ee.

Tayau.
Vvmeb.
Oonsayau.

Tayan.

Tutanlaybeneen.

Owkynowkiiloak.

Ovvingau.

Owcbiingkakai.

[Index.

INDEX.

Agriculture : — ■

Kakhyeu .. .129

Shan 299

Alekyoung .. .. 22

Amulets 409

Asban .. .. .. 316

Attack on mission of 1868

167, 185
Attack on mission of 1875 429

Bhamo : —

Early notices . . . . 5

Town 41

Old 69

Chinese .. 56, 337, 377

British Residency 333, 362

Burma, king of

335, 347, 357, 359

Burmese —

Treaty
Costume
Pooay . .
Sabbath . .
Bells .

6

.. 10

352, 379

.. 378

.. 455

Frontier guard-houses

336,

413

PAGE

Chalktaw river .. .. 263

Changsee .. .. .. 344

Chinese —

Frontiers 80, 318, 416, 441

Plays .. .. 198,372

The, of Bhamo .. 42,377

The, of Mandalay .. 454

The, of Manwyne 159, 268

Chinese Shans 285, 293, 374

Chowkyoung .. .. 30

Climate of Bhamo . . 40

Climate of Momien .. 206

Coal mines .. .. 25

Deebay mountains .. 187
Divination . ..79
Dolphins 395

Eclipse of the sun, 1868 .. 308
Elias', Mr., journey to
Muangmow .. .. 440

Pish, sacred .. .. 24

Fishes of the Irawady . . 29

Forged royal letter . . 447

French expedition, the .. 238

476

INDEX.

PAGE

PAas

Gaudama, footprints of

Kakhyens : —

33,

263, 264

Deities of

.. 457

Language of

.. 464

Hantin

.. 412

Kambanee . .

.. 405

Hawshuenshan

186, 213

Kara Kakhyens ..

.. 440

Hentha

68, 412

Karahokah

.. 167

Hlepet

.. 15

Katha

.. 31

Hoetone ..

.. 321

Kaungtoung

35, 447

Horse worship

.. 309

Kethung . .

.. 22

Hot springs of Nantin

.. 182

Khanloung Kakhyens

.. 439

Hot springs of Sanda

.. 262

Khyan-Nhyat

.. 26

Hotha :—

Khyto

.. 244

Valley of

.. 244

Kingdoung

.. 157

Town ..

.. 279

Kowlie Kakhyens

126, 434

Old

.. 303

Kuttha

.. 48

Chief of

176, 280

Kwotloon ..

.. 441

Hteezeh

.. 22

Lakone Kakhyens

126, 434

Irawady : — ■

Lakong mountain

.. 85

First defile of ..

.. 36

Lankou

.. 414

Second defile of

33, 452

Lasee

.. 317

Third defile of ..

.. 23

Latha

.. 314

Steamers on

20, 335

Laymyo ..

.. 344

Dolphins of

.. 395

Leesaws or Leisus 257, 265, 276

Fishes ..

.. 29

Lenna Kakhyens ,.

.. 440

Li-sieh-tai 28, 338,

368, 442

Loayline ..

.. 320

Jade manufacture

.. 201

Loaylone . .

.. 318

Kabyuet ..

.. 25

Mahommedans, Chinese : —

Kad-doung mountain

316, 326

Origin of

.. 224

Kakhyen hills

Eevoltof

.. 233

67, 315, 369,

402, 413

Conquest of

.. 338

Kakhyens ..

32,45

Makouk ..

.. 22

Manners and customs of

Male

3

125-150

Maloolah ..

4

INDEX.

477

PAGE

PAGE

Mandalay .. 11,351,

358, 453

Namkai

.. 441

Manlileo . .

.. 256

Namkban ..

.. 375

Manloi

.. 279

Nampoung river .

. 80, 416, 421

Manloung lake

63, 399

Namsa river

.. 276, 314

Mansay

.. 374

Namthabet river

324, 344, 403

Mantai

.. 323

Namwan river

.. 441

MaBwyne .. 159,

268, 368

Nantin

179, 250

Margary, A. E. : —

Nantin valley

.. 182

Overland journey of

.. 365

Nats:—

Murder of

429, 449

Sacrifice to

.. 329

Mattin

320, 446

Sban fear of

.. 260, 308

Mawphoo ..

177, 252

See Kakbyens.

Mengoon ..

.. 18

Nattoung bills

.. 22

Men tone ..

.. 16

Molay river

54, 256

Opium

.. 135, 800

Momeit

.. 30

Overland trade

.. 1,335,391

Momien : —

Valley of

.. 187

Town of

.. 190

Pagan, Old

.. 28

Capture of

.. 343

Pagoda : —

Momouk ..

.. 322

Seebyo . .

.. 18

Moonam river

.. 414

Stone . .

.. 23

Muang-gan

.. 157

Votive . .

.. 52

Muangkah, Stan state

.. 375

Yetbaycoo, Sessoungan 34

Muangkha river ..

.. 318

Pagodas : —

Muang-kwan

.. 375

Shuaybaw

.. 33

Muangla ..

173, 253

Sbuaykeenab

.. 51

Muanglong

346, 374

Hotba ..

.. 310,380

Muang-mow

374, 442

Paloungto ..

.. 441, 442

Muangtee ..

179, 252

Paloungto cbief

.. 384

Muangtha ..

.. 289

Pamkan ..

.. 441

Muangwan

311, 327

Pantbays, see Mabommedans.

Muangwye

.. 317

Pay to

.. 413

Myadoung..

30, 361

Peetab

.. 440

Myait-loung hills ..

.. 19

Pbonkan ..

.. 327, 387

Myit-nge river

.. 16

Ponline ..

•fl, 414

Ponline chief

.. 57, 87, 405

Namboke ..

.. 315

Pong

.. 286

478

INDEX.

PAGE

Ponsee

85, 316

Ponwah

.. 422

Potatoes ..

.. 209

Queyloon ..

394

Eiver steamers

.. 359

Eiver terraces

.. 182

Eoutes (see Map)

: —

Theinnee

.. 2, 16, 347

Shuaylee

.. 35

Ancient . .

..'4

Embassy 3,

250, 319, 373

Sawady ..

.. 374, 390

Ponline

56, 393

Sprye's ..

2

Sanda : —

Town ..

.. 168

Valley ..

.. 255

Temples

.. 259

Sawady

35, 388

Selifan

.. 374

Seray

.. 425

Seray chief

98, 419

Shan-

States ..

.. 286

People ..

.. 287

Manners and customs

288-300

Buddhism

..65,306,308

Sheroo

.. 138

Shienpagah

.. 21

Shitee Meru

.. 316, 420

Shuaybaw ..

.. 33

Shuayduay

.. 210

PAGE

Shuaygoo .. .. 32, 361

Shuaykeenah .. 62, 381

Shuaylee river .. 30, 345, 374
Shuay-mein-toung hills .. 29
Shuemuelong mountains . . 177
Silver currency . . 44, 377
Silver mines .. .. 105

Singnew .. .. .. 413

Singpho, see Kakhyens.

Stone celts .. ..204

Tagoung .. .. .. 27

TagouDg-toung-daw hills 30
Tahnieylon .. ..398

Taho river .. .. 172

Suspension bridge 178, 252

Fall of 208

Tai, see Shans.

Tali-fu .. .. 235,367

Tali-fu, capture of .. 341

Talone 71

Tapeng river 47, 103, 394

Gorge of .. 324, 404

Valley of .. 158,272

Source of .. ..175

Floods of .. .. 270

Tayshan mountains .. 187

Teng-yue-chow, see Momien.

Theehadaw .. .. 23

Thigyain 30

Thingadaw .. .. 24

Thubyo-budo hills .. 22

Trade :—

Burma and China 2, 7, 335
Of Eangoon . . . . 1

Of Momien .. ..199

In salt .. .. .. 21

INDEX.

479

PAGE

PAGE

Tsagain hills

.. 19

Wacheoon chief ..

422, 429

Tsampenago

.. 26

Woonkah chief . .

.. 431

Tsampenago, Old

.. 48

Woonkah village . .

.. 437

Tsaycow ..

.. 303

Woosaw . .

.. 344

Tsihet

69, 412

Wurrabone

.. 440

Tsing-gai, see Bhamo.

Tsingu

.. 22

Yaylaw

.. 210

Tsinuhat ..

.. 26

Yunnan : —

Tsitgna

326, 398

Present state of

.. 366

Tsitkaw .. ..60

400, 438

Minerals of

.. 202

LONDON :

PRINTED BT WILLIAM CLOWES AND BONIS,

STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.